Thursday, March 12, 2009

World's Smallest Lizard: 16 mm (0.6-inch) long


So small it can curl up on a dime or stretch out on a quarter, a typical adult of the species, whose scientific name is Sphaerodactylus ariasae is only about 16 millimeters long, or about three quarters of an inch, from the tip of the snout to the base of the tail. It shares the title of "smallest" with another lizard species named Sphaerodactylus parthenopion, discovered in 1965 in the British Virgin Islands.

Monday, February 9, 2009

World's Smallest Chameleon: 1.2 cm (0.5-inch) long

The Brookesia Minima is the world's smallest species of chameleon. This one is just half an inch. Found on the rainforest floor of Nosy Be Island off the north-west coast of Madagascar, females tend to be larger than males.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

World's Smallest Hamster: 2.5 cm (0.9-inch) tall

Only slightly bigger than a 50p piece, PeeWee is the smallest hamster in the world. Weighing less than an ounce, the golden hamster stopped growing when he was three weeks old - his five brothers and sisters went on to measure between 4in and 5in.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

World’s Smallest Cat: 15.5 cm (6.1-inch) high and 49 cm (19.2-inch) long


Meet Mr. Peebles. He lives in central Illinois, is two years old, weighs about three pounds and is the world's smallest cat! The cat's small stature was verified by the Guinness Book of World Records on 2004.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

In mathematics

I have to admit that I was a little bit surprised finding 10 in the morning program of a German TV-Channel. After all the talk about the breathtaking appearance of the now only for her nude pictures famous Bo Derek in the film and the adult story I didn't think of it appearing on TV that early in the morning. There you have the difference between the European and the American. The latter one would have probably showed the movie at least after 8 o'clock p.m., but here no one cares. And here almost everybody who saw the film thinks it's one of the 80ies-cult-movies.

Like in many of his late directorial efforts Blake Edwards, who is still best remembered for his outrageously funny PINK-PANTHER-Series, analyses modern relationships between men and women in this sometimes charming, sometimes very funny, slapstick-heavy and though loosely structured sex comedy about a midlife-crisis-plagued and foolish composer who in his pursuit of his dream woman risks his life, his relationship with his girlfriend and, well, also his teeth, but eventually realises that sticking with the woman who deserves a 10 on a scale from 1 to 10 is sometimes better than reaching for the one who would score 11. This 24th Edwards-directed movie, which he also wrote and produced, garnered two Oscar nominations for its music by Henry Mancini and divided like most of his sex comedies of the 80ies and 90ies most of the American and European critics, the latter ones always being amused by the rude, nasty humour and the others offended by it. However, though failing to be the great comedy it could certainly have been, 10 is still good entertainment thanks to a great comedic performance by Dudley Moore in the lead, a fine supporting cast and some hilariously funny slapstick gags. Apart from being a back-to-box-office-success-movie for Edwards, who suffered in the 70ies with more thoughtful movies like WILD ROVERS (1971), THE CAREY TREATMENT (1972) and THE TAMARIND SEE (1974) it was also the breakthrough-movie for 80ies Sex symbol Bo Derek.

Friday, August 8, 2008

World’s Smallest Horse: 43.18 cm (17-inch) tall

The little horse was born to Paul and Kay Goessling, who specialize in breeding miniature horses, but even for the breed Thumbelina is particularly small: she is thought to be a dwarf-version of the breed. At just 60 lb and 17-inch tall, the five-year-old Thumbelina is the world’s smallest horse.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

World’s Smallest Fish: 7.9 mm (0.3-inch) long

On January 2006, the world's smallest fish was discovered on the Indonesian island of Sumatra: a member of the carp family of fish, the Paedocypris progenetica. It is the world's smallest vertebrate or backboned animal; only 7.9 mm (0.3 inches) long.

The title, however, is contested by 6.2 mm (0.2 in) long male anglerfish Photocorynus spiniceps (not technically a fish but a sexual parasite) and the 7 mm (0.27 in) long male stout infantfish Schindleria brevipinguis.