Scientists have uncovered what they say is the world's smallest vertebrate - a tiny fish species that lives in an Indonesian swamp. The Guardian's Ian Sample reports:
The newly discovered species, Paedocypris progenetica, is a member of the carp family and was caught in a fine-mesh net as it sheltered beneath trees bordering a flooded forest area on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Layers of peat that line the swamp floors make the waters highly acidic, leading scientists to suspect little life could flourish there.
"This is one of the strangest fish I've seen in my whole career," said Ralf Britz, an expert in fish anatomy at the Natural History Museum in London, who was called in to help study the creature. "It's tiny, it lives in acid and it has these bizarre grasping fins."
All we need now are some tiny chips and I'll be happy.
