25 Of The World's Tiniest Animals

This species of chameleon--small enough to easily perch on a match head--was only recently discovered on a tiny island off Madagascar.

This marmoset is notable for being the world's smallest monkey and one of the smallest primates in the world at just over 100 grams (3.5 oz).

The dwarf lantern shark is a little-known species of dogfish shark and possibly the smallest shark in the world, reaching a maximum known length of 8.3 in.

The smallest mammal in the world, this tiny bat weighs less than 2 grams.

The smallest butterfly in the USA, the tiny western pygmy blue is notoriously difficult to find, but is certainly worth searching for as it is beautifully patterned with delicate markings.

Mini horses are usually less than 34–38 inches high at the shoulder. They are friendly and interact well with people, and frequently trained as service animals.

Mouse lemurs have a combined head, body and tail length of less than 11 inches, making them the smallest primates.

The dwarf caiman is a small crocodilian from northern and central South America in the alligator family.

At only 10–12 inches high at the shoulder and weighing only 7–8 lb, the Royal is the smallest of all antelopes.

The Baluchistan Pygmy Jerboa is the world's smallest species of rodent with a weight of less than an ounce at around .132o oz, a body length of 1.7 inches, and a tail length of up to three inches.

Barely bigger than a pea, this animal is the smallest seahorse currently known to biologists. Typically it is 0.63 inches (16 millimeters) long, but even smaller specimens were found, measuring only 0.51 inches (13 millimeters).

The pink fairy armadillo, or pichiciego, is the smallest known species of armadillo, and was first described by R. Harlan in 1825.

Measuring just a few inches when fully grown, this tiny tortoise hails from South Africa. There it lives on rocky outcrops, foraging among the rocks for the tiny succulent plants it eats.

The pygmy three-toed sloth was only just recognized as a distinct species in 2001. Famous for its slow movements, the pygmy three-toed sloth is ideally suited to life in the mangroves and is surprisingly good at swimming.

With an average length of 48 inches and height of 34 inches, the Vechur is the smallest cattle breed in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. It's valued for the large amount of milk it produces relative to the small amount of food it requires.

Only recently discovered in 2012, "Paedophryne amauensis" is the smallest known animal with a backbone.

Discovered and officially classified in 1913, Octopus Wolfi measures only just half an inch in length!

Pint-sized pygmy goats tend to be kept as pets primarily, though they also work well as milk producers and working animals.

At less than one inch long, this gecko is one of the smallest terrestrial vertebrates. It has only been found on three of the British Virgin Islands: Virgin Gorda, Tortola, and Moskito Island (also spelled "Mosquito Island").

This blind threadsnake was only discovered in 2008, and is the smallest snake species currently known to exist.

The Etruscan shrew, also known as the white-toothed pygmy shrew, is the smallest known mammal by mass, weighing only about 0.063 oz on average.

The little penguin (known in Australia as the 'fairy penguin') is the smallest species of penguin. It only grows to an average of 13 inches in height and 17 inches in length.

With a catlike face, oversized head, and bright yellow eyes, the Northern Saw-whet Owl is of the most common owls in forests across northern North America.

With a mass around0.056 oz) and a length of 2.0–2.4 inches, this hummingbird is the smallest living bird on the planet.

The average adult tarsier is about the size of a human fist.