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Magnifying glass, calipers, teeny tiny tape measure. These are the weapons with which researchers are fighting it out to find the world’s smallest frog.
放大镜，游标卡尺，极小的卷尺……借助这些工具，研究人员正在努力寻找世界上最小的青蛙。
One team just announced the discovery of the on-average 7.7 millimeter Paedophryne amanuensis, which can sit comfortably on a dime. It was discovered in the moist under-layer of New Guinea’s tropical rainforest. The research was published in the journal Public Library of Science One.
一个研究团队刚刚宣称，他们发现了一种平均只有7.7毫米大小的阿马乌童蛙。这种青蛙可以舒适地坐在一个一角硬币上。这个小家伙发现于新几内亚热带雨林潮湿的下层空间里。这项研究结果刊登在《科学公共图书馆》杂志上。
The little guy thus ousts another New Guinea frog, which had only claimed the title in December. The newest frog species is also being cited as the world’s smallest vertebrate, although it’s more correctly the smallest free-living vertebrate. A 6.2 millimeter male anglerfish spends its life buried in the body of its mate.
这个小家伙取代了12月份才发现的一种新几内亚青蛙，成为至目前为止发现的世界上最小的青蛙。同时，这种青蛙也是迄今发现的最小的脊椎动物——确切地说，它是独立生长地最小的脊椎动物。 雄性琵琶鱼虽然只有6.2毫米大小，但它的一生都寄居在其配偶的身体上。
Finding the little frog was no small achievement. Besides being tiny, the high-pitched mating calls researchers followed sound more insect than amphibian. [Frog calls.]
这只小青蛙的发现是一项不小的成就。除了具有迷你可爱的身体，研究人员还发现这种青蛙的求爱声更像昆虫的鸣声而非两栖动物的叫声。 （这是这种青蛙的叫声）
Tiny vertebrates reveal changes that make miniaturization possible. For instance, some of the digits on the frogs’ feet have disappeared. And their skulls develop differently than those of larger critters.
这种微型脊椎动物的发现告诉我们，动物身体小型化是可能的。例如，这种青蛙的一些脚趾已退化不见了，而且，他们的头骨也发展得和那些较大动物的头骨很是不同。
So we celebrate the world’s smallest frog and free-living vertebrate. Until the next one is discovered.
因此，在发现更小的物种之前，我们应该庆祝一下，因为我们找到了世界上最小的青蛙同时也是独立生长地最小的脊椎动物。
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