Being small has its advantages - and some limitations. One organism that intimately knows the pros and cons of being mini is the pumpkin toadlet.

As an adult, the animal reaches merely the size of a chickpea. At that scale, the frog's inner ear is so small, it's not fully functional. That means the frog's movements seem haphazard. Today, with the help of Atlantic science writer Katie Wu, we investigate: If a frog can't jump well, is it still a frog? (encore)

Read Katie Wu's piece in The Atlantic, A Frog So Small, It Could Not Frog.


Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy