A frog smaller than a pencil eraser has hopped into the record books as the one of the smallest vertebrates known to science. Researchers formally described the species in late October 2024 after encountering it in the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil’s São Paulo state. At a length of 6.95 millimeters (0.27 inches), Brachycephalus dacnis has given scientists a new appreciation of just how small vertebrates can get. The only known frog smaller than this, found in February 2024 in northeastern Brazil, beats it by just 0.5 mm (0.02 in) but struggles with balance. Frogs in the tiny Brachycephalus genus are notorious for their clumsy landings, often tumbling over or falling on their heads after jumping, as their vestibular systems were compromised in their evolution to be small.