These Tiny Frogs Are So, So Bad at Jumping
Side and birds-eye views of the jumping skill of B. pernix.Gif: Richard L. Essner, Jr.Get out your smallest violin—or maybe your biggest—for the petite frogs whose miniature ear structures hinder their ability to hop, one of the defining characteristics of frogs.The frogs are of the genus Brachycephalus, a group of small amphibians in Brazil also known as pumpkin toadlets. They’re actually decent at jumping upward; it’s the coming down that’s disastrous. The pumpkin toadlets are simply unable to control their landings. A…