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[41] [42] In 2020, it was announced that 40 million year old helmeted frog fossils had been discovered by a team of vertebrate palaeontologists in Seymour Island on the Antarctic Peninsula, indicating that this region was once home to frogs related to those now living in South American Nothofagus forest.
The smallest amphibian (and vertebrate) in the world is a frog from New Guinea (Paedophryne amauensis) with a length of just 7.7 mm (0.30 in). The largest living amphibian is the 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) South China giant salamander ( Andrias sligoi ), but this is dwarfed by prehistoric temnospondyls such as Mastodonsaurus which could reach up to 6 m ...
Paedophryne amauensis, also known as the New Guinea Amau frog, is a species of microhylid frog endemic to eastern Papua New Guinea. [ 2 ] [ 4 ] At 7.7 mm (0.30 in) in snout-to-vent length , it was once considered the world's smallest known vertebrate .
A few species deposit eggs on land or bypass the tadpole stage. Adult frogs generally have a carnivorous diet consisting of small invertebrates, but omnivorous species exist and a few feed on plant matter. Frog skin has a rich microbiome which is important to their health. Frogs are extremely efficient at converting what they eat into body mass.
Frogs are widely distributed, ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest concentration of species diversity is found in tropical rainforests. There are approximately 4,800 recorded species, accounting for over 85% of extant amphibian species. They are also one of the five most diverse vertebrate orders.
Researchers studying similar small-sized “flea toads” found this species to be particularly interesting due to its diminutive size as one of the smallest known vertebrate animals.
The African bullfrog is a voracious carnivore, eating insects and other invertebrates, small rodents, reptiles, small birds, fish, and other amphibians that can fit in their mouths. [5] [9] [10] It is also a cannibalistic species—the male African bullfrog is known for occasionally eating the tadpoles he guards, [11] and juveniles also eat ...
The world's largest frog is the goliath frog of West Africa—it can grow to 15 inches (38 centimeters) and weigh up to 7 pounds (3.2 kilograms). One of the smallest is the Cuban tree toad, which ...