What Is the Smallest Animal on Earth?
Think of the tiniest animal you’ve ever seen. The chances are that animal is millions of times bigger than the paramecium, the smallest earthly creature we can truly call an animal. The paramecium is a one-celled organism found in pond and lake water or in damp earth. Like all one-celled animals, the paramecium is called a proto
To answer this question, we need to first understand what is an animal. According to Wikipedia, Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan becomes fixed as they develop, usually early on in their development as embryos, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. The answer to the question of “smallest animals” by San Diego Zoo suggests protozoans, which belong to planktonic animals. Protozoans are often referred to as one-celled animals whose characteristics are found in both plants and animals. You need a microscope to see protozoans. This is echoed in Joshph Agro’s post to answer the same question, Here is what my friend’s opinion on which animal group would have to be considered: “I think protozoans would be considered the smallest animal, EXCEPT that it appears they are no longer considered animalia. I’d guess the next smallest would be from the insect kingdom (which has so many
