The next big pet? Smallest frog found in the Andes mountains

April 1, 9:56 PMDC Pet Care ExaminerErin Paquette

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By earl53 on Morguefile.com

A little less than a week ago it was reported that scientists found the smallest known frog species in the world. Interestingly enough, they found the frogs in the Andes mountains, the same region where guinea pigs are said to originate from.

According to National Geographic, the female frogs grow to 0.49 inch (12.4 millimeters) at most while the male frogs make it to only 0.44 inch (11.1 millimeters). But the other interesting thing about the frogs besides their tiny stature? The fact that they can survive at such a high altitude.

As stated by National Geographic, it’s usually larger animals that live and thrive in higher altitudes. Seeing animals as small as the coin-sized frogs surviving successfully at such high elevations is something that scientists want to study more closely in coming years.

But what do these frogs mean for pet owners? Will they become the next big phenomenon as soon as breeders can get a hold of them?

Maybe.

Let's face it: Americans (myself included) tend to have an obsession with cute, tiny animals. And to be honest, that’s perfectly okay—as long as you can properly care for the pet in question.

It’s no secret that I advocate adopting pets instead of getting them from a pet shop, but I understand that some people like certain types and breeds of animals. Again, that’s okay, as long as you can commit to caring for the pet.

But the sad reality is that many of the “cute” and “tiny” pets that people “just had to have” (think of all the teenagers who went out and bought miniature dogs after Paris Hilton debuted Tinkerbelle in public) are abandoned within a year. This happens for a number of reasons, but the bottom line is that it happens. Who’s to say that these frogs wouldn’t just become another pet in a long line of others who are “popular” one minute, and “out of style” the next?

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Do you think that these frogs will become the next “super pet,” or do you think that the government will try and keep breeders from selling them as pets?