What are the smallest animals in the world?
The smallest known animals in the world consist of only a few hundred cells and measures 45 micrometers in length (0.0017 inches or 0.045 mm). It is often measured in microns, where 1 micron equals 0.00003937 inches (0.001 mm). These microfaunas include the smallest gastrotich (<60 microns), non -nematodes (<80 microns), Rotifers (<100 microns) and micrognathozoan (<100 microns).
other extremely small animals include smallest mites such as aberoptus champion (<120 microns); Parasitic wasps such as dikopomorfa echmeptterygis (137 microns, smallest insects); And the smallest beetles such as Scydosella musawasensis (300 microns). Members of the cyclum of cycliophora such as symbion (347 microns); Worm worms (500 microns); and trichoplax adhaerens (500 microns). Nematodes, Rotifers, worms jaws and microgathozoans are water, while mites, wasps and beetles are earthly.
Most of the smallest animals are water, partly because the mud layer at the bottom of the OCEana is an excellent habitat for small organisms. The small invertebrates who live there are known as Meiofauna, Infauna or Benthos. In addition to bacteria, it is probably one of the most frequent animals on the planet (especially non -atures). Found at modest densities in almost every part of the ocean bottom and consume the endless organic "snow" that falls from above. They coexist with abundant bacteria they eat. Bacteria and other unicellular organisms are not considered animals, because by definition the animal is an organism that consists of multiple cells.
Sometimes species named "smallest animals" are not too small at all, such as the fish of the family paedocrypis , which can be as short as 0.31 inches (8 mm). The aphids have a size between 0.039 and 0.39 inches (1a 10 mm) and are clearly visible to the naked eye. All truly small animals are microscopic because human vision cannot easily recognize objects smaller thanAbout 500 microns and many animals can go through a 500 micron filter. Many of them are somewhat poorly studied because of their small size, but can keep the key to major debates on biological classification. For example, it is assumed that a small gastrotich, which may be a relative of non -atodes, keeps the key to the hypothesis of Edcysozo about whether the animals that throw the cuticle are descendants of the common ancestor, or whether the quality occurred independently in different lines.