Smaller Ranita

1997/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Zoologia

In 1993, Cuban scientists discovered a new form of frog, a very small frog. Three males and one female were found at Monte Iberia in Cuba at 600 meters high. With the aim of deepening the knowledge of the ranita, numerous investigations have been carried out and the results have been released at the end of last year: Eleutherodactylus is a species of the genus that can be considered the smallest tetrapod in the Northern Hemisphere. Measure only one centimeter and divide the record with another small frog from Brazil.

Cuban scientists found the frog in a single egg. According to the researchers, the tiny amphibian assembles a single egg in each setting so that the young are not born very small.

Although this Cuban frog is very special, it has not been a surprise to scientists. And it is that Cuba is home to many curious animals. In it lives the smallest bird in the world, the smallest lizard and the largest insectivore.