Nature comes in all shapes and sizes. Vertebrates, for example, range from the 100-ton blue whale to this tiny, tiny flee toad newly discovered in the Amazon. At 6.5 mm in length, it's the second smallest vertebrate yet described according to this article. How many similarly diminutive species remain out there?
For those of you interested in biodiversity's extremes, you may want to check out Tim Flannery's new book, Big Meg. It's a portrait of the largest predator to ever roam the Earth -- the extinct, 60-foot, 65-ton megalodon shark. At three times the length (and 20 times the weight) of the biggest great white shark, it could likely eat a great white or an orca for lunch!
Comments