Do you know which vertebrate is the SMALLEST? Here’s a contender:

n this Aug. 2009 photo released by Louisiana State University, a frog sits on a U.S. dime in this photo taken by Louisiana State University herpetologist Christopher Austin near the Amau River in Papua, New Guinea. (AP) 

The tiny frog Paedophryne amauensis was found by Christopher Austin (Louisiana State University) during a research expedition in Papua, New Guinea in 2009.  When fully grown, adults are three-tenths of an inch in size.  Researching the ecology of tiny species like these frogs will enable scientists to better understand the advantages and disadvantages of extreme body size.