14 DAY TRIAL // It's a strange world we live in, there's no denying it, and all it takes to prove it is this seriously bizarre frog populating South America's forests. No, really, this fellow is among the weirdest creatures ever to walk, hop or crawl the Earth.
The frog, whose official name is Pseudis paradoxa, grows smaller and smaller as it gets older. As a tadpole, it measures about 25 centimeters (nearly 10 inches) from head to tail. When it eventually reaches maturity, it is about three to four times smaller.
Mind you, amphibians belonging to this species do not come out of their eggs looking like terrifying frog versions of Godzilla. When they hatch, they look just like any other tadpoles. It takes them about four months to grown to being 25 centimeters long.
Once the tadpoles reach this size, they begin to shrink. They lose their tail and soon enough turn into perfectly average frogs. Although they have been studying them for years, wildlife researchers haven't yet found an explanation of these frogs' odd growth pattern.
Oddity Central tells us that Pseudis Paradoxa specimens, otherwise known as paradoxical frogs or shrinking frogs, prefer living near ponds and lakes, sometimes even lagoons. The amphibians' diet chiefly comprises larvae and small insects, which they hunt during nighttime.
