You Can’t Find Smaller Mammals than These

Mammals are animals which feed with milk from their mother after birth. In the world there are many different species of mammals. Every species of mammals, from smallest to largest, have this same single characteristic. The smaller mammals usually live under the surface or they hide under the leaves and grass. They feed with insects or plant fruits. These are the smallest species of mammals you could find in nature.

Pygmy jerboa (Salpingotulus michaelis).

This small mammal is native to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pygmy jerboa weighs 3 grams and it is the smallest rodent in the world. It looks like a hybrid between mouse and baby kangaroo. In the world there are 25 different sub-species of this small rodent which live in Central China and Asia.

Bunblebee bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai).

The smallest mammal in the world is Bunblebee bat and their weight is only two grams. Adults forms are 1.3 inch long. This species has been discovered in 1974 by zoologist Kitti Thonglongya. It can be found living in the limestone caves in western Thailand and south-east Myanmar.

Pygmy opossum (Cercartetus nanus).

Although it looks like chinchilla more than a kangaroo the pygmy opossum belongs to the marsupial family. The pygmy opossum belongs to the same group of animals as koala and Tasmanian devil. It weighs 10-45 grams and although small it has the same features as the normal opossum. It has tail which the animal uses to descend from trees. This species can be found in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. In one period of the year (during winter), pygmy opossums roll into balls to hibernate.

There are many more small and interesting mammals in the world. Many of them evolved to have smaller bodies to protect themselves from their enemies and reproduce better.