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Four new frogs so tiny that they can sit on a fingernail discovered in India

05:35 PM | 23 Feb, 2017
Four new frogs so tiny that they can sit on a fingernail discovered in India
CHENNAI - Scientists have discovered four new species of miniature night frogs small enough to sit on a fingernail in a remote part of India.

Among the smallest frogs in the world, they live on the forest floor and make insect-like calls at night according to the report in the PeerJ medical sciences journal.

The researchers, who spent five years in the forests of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, said the tiny amphibians were there in abundance but had likely been overlooked because of their size.



The lush Western Ghats mountain range, which runs parallel to the western coast of India, is home to hundreds of threatened plants and animals.

"These tiny frogs can sit comfortably on a coin or a thumbnail," said Sonali Garg of the University of Delhi, who was among the team that found the new creatures.

"We were surprised to find that the miniature forms are in fact locally abundant and fairly common.

"They were probably overlooked by researchers because of their extremely small size, secretive habitats and insect-like calls."



The night frog group, Nyctibatrachus, previously had 28 recognized species, of which three were miniature in size (less than 18mm).

The new species were identified through studying their DNA, physical features and call patterns, the BBC reported.

Most of the new frogs live outside protected habitats or close to areas of human habitation.

Prof SD Biju of the University of Delhi, who led the research, has discovered over 80 new species of amphibians from India. "Over 32%, that is one-third of the Western Ghats frogs, are already threatened with extinction," he said.



"Out of the seven new species, five are facing considerable anthropogenic threats and require immediate conservation prioritization."

Indian night frogs split off from other frogs some 70 to 80 million years ago, making them a particularly ancient group.

The writer is a member of the staff.

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Currency Rates in Pakistan Today - Pakistani rupee to Dollar, Euro, Pound, Dirham, and Riyal - 7 May 2024

Pakistani rupee rates against US Dollar and other currencies on May 7, 2024 Tuesday in open market.

USD to PKR rate today

US dollar was being quoted at 277.4 for buying and 280.4 for selling.

Euro stands at 295.7 for buying and 298.65 for selling while British Pound rate is 345 for buying, and 348.5 for selling.

UAE Dirham AED was at 75.05 and Saudi Riyal's comes down to 73.25.

Today’s currency exchange rates in Pakistan - 7 May 2024

Source: Forex Association of Pakistan. (last update 08:00 AM)
Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar USD 277.4 280.4
Euro EUR 295.7 298.65
UK Pound Sterling GBP 345 348.5
U.A.E Dirham AED 75.05 75.8
Saudi Riyal SAR 73.25 74
Australian Dollar AUD 180 182
Bahrain Dinar BHD 739.99 747.99
Canadian Dollar CAD 203 205
China Yuan CNY 38.43 38.83
Danish Krone DKK 40.16 40.56
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 35.61 35.96
Indian Rupee INR 3.34 3.45
Japanese Yen JPY 1.91 1.99
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 905.3 914.3
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 58.71 59.31
New Zealand Dollar NZD 167.23 169.23
Norwegians Krone NOK 25.57 25.87
Omani Riyal OMR 722.7 730.7
Qatari Riyal QAR 76.44 77.14
Singapore Dollar SGD 204.65 206.65
Swedish Korona SEK 25.79 26.09
Swiss Franc CHF 307.34 309.84
Thai Bhat THB 7.56 7.71

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