Have you ever seen such adorable small animals?
20 of the Cutest Tiny Animals from Around the World
Updated on May 16, 2025
Chihuahua
These teacup-sized dogs are so tiny that sometimes you don’t even notice when someone is carrying one around in their purse. According to Guinness World Records, the smallest Chihuahua ever is named Pearl and measures only about 3.59 inches tall.
Pygmy marmoset
This tiny creature looks and acts somewhat like a little squirrel, climbing up trees and branches in the rainforests of South America. But the pygmy marmoset is actually the world’s smallest monkey and weighs a mere 3 to 5 ounces.
Miniature horse
Miniature horses definitely aren’t the smallest of the small animals on this list, but they’re too cute not to include. The smallest living miniature horse is a male named Bombel, and he measures just 22.36 inches tall. The shortest female horse ever, Thumbelina, was just 17 inches tall and passed away in 2018.
Pygmy rabbit
Pygmy rabbits are the world’s smallest rabbits, measuring only 9 to 12 inches and weighing less than a pound. The species is endangered and is only found in certain western states, including Washington, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.
Mouse lemur
Mouse lemurs are so tiny they can fit in the palm of your hand. The smallest species is the Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, which is the world’s smallest primate and weighs just 33 grams (about 1.2 ounces) on average.
View this post on Instagram
Brookesia nana chameleon
This chameleon is small enough to fit on the end of your fingertip. A newer entry into the world’s smallest animals list, this tiny lizard was discovered in 2012 on the island of Madagascar. At just 13.5 millimeters long, it is easy to miss if you don’t look closely.
Dwarf three-toed jerboa
The dwarf three-toed jerboa is the world’s smallest rodent. It weighs less than an ounce and is about 1.7 inches tall. Some people compare their little bodies to a cotton ball, but please be gentle if you encounter one. These small animals are tiny!
Royal antelope
The royal antelope is the world’s smallest antelope, measuring just 10 inches tall and weighing no more than 7 pounds. This cute little creature lives in the West African rainforests spanning from Ghana to Sierra Leone, but the chances of seeing one are slim because they’re largely nocturnal.
View this post on Instagram
Brazilian flea toad
This minuscule amphibian, Brachycephalus pulex, is actually a frog, despite the toad moniker. It’s about the size of a housefly—so tiny it can fit on a dime. With males measuring only 7.1 millimeters long (females slightly more), the B. pulex is the smallest known animal with a backbone.
Bee hummingbird
The bee hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world and weighs less than an ounce. Don’t let its size fool you though: It’s tiny but powerful, beating its wings 80 times per second when in flight.
Etruscan shrew
The Etruscan shrew is the smallest known terrestrial, or non-flying, mammal by mass, but these tiny animals can pack in the calories. With their extremely quick movements and rapid metabolism, Etruscan shrews eat approximately one-and-a-half to two times their own body weight per day.
Jaragua dwarf gecko
This gecko, Sphaerodactylus ariasae, takes the crown for smallest lizard and reptile, at no longer than two-thirds of an inch. That’s small enough to fit on a quarter! Jaragua dwarf geckos thrive in forest environments and are named after their home, the Dominican Republic’s Jaragua National Park.
Speckled padloper tortoise
The speckled padloper tortoise is the world’s smallest species of tortoise. They are strictly herbivores and feed on plants such as endive, chicory, fleawort and dandelion. Endemic to South Africa, this cute little tortoise is distinguished from similar species by having five toes instead of four.
Denise’s pygmy seahorse
At only 2.4 centimeters long (max), the Hippocampus denise, a species of pygmy seahorse, is a master of camouflage. Found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Micronesia, Palau, Philippines, Thailand and Vanuatu, these adorable small animals spend most of their time clinging to coral with their tiny little tails.
Philippine tarsier
The Philippine tarsier is prevalent in (you guessed it) the Philippines, particularly in the southeastern part of the islands. Tarsiers are primates and strictly carnivorous. The Philippine tarsier is shy, nocturnal and prefers to live a solitary life within dense vegetation.
Fennec fox
These tiny foxes live in the Sahara Desert and other locations in Northern Africa. In order to cope with the desert temperatures, they are nocturnal, and their large ears (which are typically about 4 to 6 inches long) help them dissipate body heat.
Hermit crab
There are more than 800 species of hermit crabs with notably soft abdomens, unlike the hard abdomens seen in related crustaceans. They protect their soft middle section by carrying around a seashell they can easily retract into should a predator get near.
Northern Pudu
The Northern Pudu is the world’s smallest deer. This furry cutie is native to the Andes mountains and weighs between 7 and 13 pounds.
Hamster
Hamsters were living free in the wild until 1930, when a Syrian zoologist took a mother and pups from their nest. Though many of the poor pups died, four survived, and every domesticated hamster since can be traced back to them. First brought to the U.S. in 1938, hamsters have since become popular low-maintenance pets.
Nigerian Dwarf goat
The Nigerian Dwarf goat is a miniature goat of West African origin that’s known for being gentle and lovable. Despite its small size, this adorable goat produces up to 2 quarts of milk each day. Additionally, the milk these cuties produce is higher in protein and butterfat than other goat milk.
Additional reporting by Morgan Cutolo.
Why trust us
At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We’ve gone the extra step and had Marcy Lovitch, a fact-checker with 20-plus years of experience researching for national publications including Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Glamour, Seventeen, Real Simple, Forbes and InStyle magazines, verify that all quotes are attributed correctly and have credible sourcing. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Britannica.com: “Hermit crab”
- Britannica.com: “Royal antelope”
- Discover Magazine: “9 of the Smallest Animals in the World and Where They Live”
- Florida International University: “Hamsters”
- Guinness World Records: “Pocket-sized Chihuahua certified as world’s shortest dog”
- Guinness World Records: “Smallest mammal (by mass)”
- Horse & Hound: “How small is the world’s smallest horse and other tiny horses facts you need to know”
- National Audubon Society: “Get to Know the Bee Hummingbird, the World’s Smallest Bird”
- New England Primate Conservancy: “Philippine Tarsier”
- People: “Newly Discovered Itty-Bitty Chameleon Could Be the World’s Smallest Reptile”
- Project Seahorse: “Denise’s pygmy seahorse: a champion hide-and-seeker”
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: “Lemur”
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: “Fennec Fox”
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: “Pygmy Marmoset”
- Smithsonian Magazine: “The World’s Smallest Vertebrate Is a Tiny Brazilian Frog, Study Finds”
- Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia: “Which is the smallest turtle in the world?”
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: “Periodic Status Review for the Pygmy Rabbit (2024)”
- World Deer: “Northern Pudu”
- Zoo Atlanta: “Nigerian Dwarf Goat”
