By: Nina Huang

Ever seen frog jumps before? They look so slick and crisp, right? But have you ever heard the name Brachycephalus? It’s a type of frog which, surprisingly, cannot finish a jump without belly-flopping, crash-landing, or landing on its back. Poor thing, right? But why are these frogs so clumsy? It’s kind of complicated, so bear with me as I explain it all to you.

Why Are They So Clumsy?

These frogs are from Brazil, and they are nicknamed “pumpkin toadlets.” Their size is surprisingly tiny, as each toadlet is the size of your thumbnail! A group of zoologists who were studying frogs came across this petite Brazilian frog. The group said that they were studying the frog’s movements and its sounds. They went into Brazilian rainforests and tried to hear the toadlet’s sounds. They would then dig in piles of leaves to search for the frog. “Typically, fluid sloshing through bony tubes in the inner ear helps animals sense their body’s position. The pumpkin toadlet’s tubes are the smallest ever recorded for an adult vertebrate. Other studies had shown that the tiny tubes don’t work all that well. Their fluid has a hard time flowing freely. These tiny frogs are really bad at landing jumps.” zoologist Richard Essner Jr. says.

Essner is a scientist who studies vertebrates, which means “animals with backbones.” The researchers’ hypothesis was that frogs need to be able to watch their bodies when landing jumps, but somehow this frog just loses concentration and bounces all over the place?

Well, even though the pumpkin toadlet is different, it’s still a frog, right? It may be a klutz at jumping, but it’s also adorable.