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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.
放大鏡，游標(biāo)卡尺，極小的卷尺……借助這些工具，研究人員正在努力尋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.
一個(gè)研究團(tuán)隊(duì)剛剛宣稱，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種平均只有7.7毫米大小的阿馬烏童蛙。這種青蛙可以舒適地坐在一個(gè)一角硬幣上。這個(gè)小家伙發(fā)現(xiàn)于新幾內(nèi)亞熱帶雨林潮濕的下層空間里。這項(xiàng)研究結(jié)果刊登在《科學(xué)公共圖書館》雜志上。
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.
這個(gè)小家伙取代了12月份才發(fā)現(xiàn)的一種新幾內(nèi)亞青蛙，成為至目前為止發(fā)現(xiàn)的世界上最小的青蛙。同時(shí)，這種青蛙也是迄今發(fā)現(xiàn)的最小的脊椎動物——確切地說，它是獨(dú)立生長地最小的脊椎動物。 雄性琵琶魚雖然只有6.2毫米大小，但它的一生都寄居在其配偶的身體上。
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.]
這只小青蛙的發(fā)現(xiàn)是一項(xiàng)不小的成就。除了具有迷你可愛的身體，研究人員還發(fā)現(xiàn)這種青蛙的求愛聲更像昆蟲的鳴聲而非兩棲動物的叫聲。 （這是這種青蛙的叫聲）
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.
這種微型脊椎動物的發(fā)現(xiàn)告訴我們，動物身體小型化是可能的。例如，這種青蛙的一些腳趾已退化不見了，而且，他們的頭骨也發(fā)展得和那些較大動物的頭骨很是不同。
So we celebrate the world’s smallest frog and free-living vertebrate. Until the next one is discovered.
因此，在發(fā)現(xiàn)更小的物種之前，我們應(yīng)該慶祝一下，因?yàn)槲覀冋业搅耸澜缟献钚〉那嗤芡瑫r(shí)也是獨(dú)立生長地最小的脊椎動物。
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