Smallest migrant

Who

Copepods (subphylum Crustacea)

Where

Not Applicable

When

2010

Details

Copepods (subphylum Crustacea) are planktonic organisms measuring on average 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) long, although some polar species might reach 1 cm (0.4 in) in length. Despite their tiny size, they are the principle diet of much of the oceans´ inhabitants – including whales. Copepods live predominantly at the bottom of the ocean to avoid predators, although make a nightly ascent to the surface to feed. This vertical migration is also considered the most massive migration.

Smallest double landlocked country

Who

Liechtenstein

Where

Liechtenstein

When

2010

Details

Double landlocked countries are defined as being completely surrounded only by other landlocked countries, which means two borders must be crossed in order to reach the sea. Liechtenstein is the smallest, with a population of just 35,000 and an area of 160 km2. Liechtenstein is surrounded by Switzerland and Austria.

World’s smallest nematodes

Who

Nematode 

Where

Not Applicable

When

2010

Details

The world’s smallest nematodes or round worms have no common names and live in marine sediments. They are only 80 µm long, which means that it would take 20-30 of these minuscule worms lying end to end to equal the thickness of a single average coin.

Smallest organism capable of independent reproduction and growth

Who

Mycoplasma genitalium

Where

Not Applicable

When

2010

Details

The smallest organism capable of independent reproduction and growth is Mycoplasma genitalium, a parasitic species of ultramicrobacterium that lives in the respiratory and genital tracts of primates. Its size is approximately 200-300 nanometres.

Smallest living organism

Who

Nanoarchaeum equitans

Where

Not Applicable

When

2002

Details

The smallest entity universally recognised to be a living organism (not everyone considers the slightly smaller nanobes to be alive) is Nanoarchaeum equitans. This minuscule microbe was only discovered in 2002, in a hydrothermal vent on the seafloor off the coast of Iceland, and its cells are only 400 nanometres across. In addition, its genome is only 490,885 nucleotide bases long, which makes it the smallest non-viral genome ever sequenced.

Smallest cow (height)

Who

Diana

Where

India

When

November 09, 2010

Details

The shortest cow is Diana, a 7 year old Vechur cow, born and bred at the Vechur Conservation Centre, Kerala, India, who measured 77 cm (30 in) from the hoof to the withers on 9 November 2010.

Smallest Rubik's Cube

Who

Evgeniy Grigoriev

Where

Russia

When

December 13, 2010

Details

The smallest Rubik’s Cube is10 mm (0.39 in) wide and was created by Evgeniy Grigoriev (Russia). It is fully functional and can be used like a normal Rubik’s Cube.

Smallest jet engine

Who

Leibniz Institute Solid State Physics Dresden

Where

Germany

When

September 06, 2010

Details

The smallest jet engine measures just 600nm across and weighs 1 femtogram (10^-15 kg). It was produced by Leibniz Institute Solid State Physics Dresden and demonstrated in Dresden, Germany, in September 2010.

Smallest species of water lily

Who

Thermal Lily

Where

When

November 2007

Details

The smallest documented species of water lily is Nymphaea thermarum, also known as the thermal lily has pads 10-20 mm (0.3-0.6 in) across.

Smallest working dog

Who

Momo

Where

Japan

When

November 29, 2010

Details

The smallest rescue dog is Momo (Peach), a 7 year old chihuahua who weighs just 3kg (6.6lb). She has been incorporated into the Japanese police force to help with search and rescue, given her small size and ability to get into smaller places, that other larger breeds cannot access.

Smallest drum kit peripheral

Who

Band Hero DS (Activision, 2009)

Where

When

November 03, 2009 

Details

Fitting over the lower screen of the DS Lite, the Drum Grip peripheral released for Band Hero DS (Activision, 2009) is the smallest videogame drum kit. The grip, made out of silicone rubber, fits over the Lite's 133 mm by 73.9 mm (5.2 in x 2.9 in) frame but is not compatible with the original DS or the newer DSI.

Smallest stop-motion animation character

Who

Aardman Animations

Where

United Kingdom

When

September 01, 2010

Details

The smallest stop-motion animated character to appear in a film is Dot, who is just 10 mm (0.39 in) tall and appeared in the advertisement Nokia 'Wonderland', directed by Aardman Animations and premiered on 1 September 2010. 

Smallest RC model helicopter, radio controlled

Who

Spin Master Ltd.

Where

United States

When

July 29, 2010

Details

The smallest remote-controlled model helicopter is the Air Hogs Pocket Copter by Spin Master Ltd (Canada) which measures 10 cm (3.94 in) long, 6.5 cm (2.56 in) high, 2.5 cm (0.98 in) wide and has a rotor size of 9.5 cm (3.74 in). It was measured in Toronto, Canada, on 29 July 2010.

Smallest sheathed thermocouple

Who

Okazaki Manufacturing Company

Where

Japan

When

May 2009 

Details

In May 2009, the Okazaki Manufacturing Company (Japan) announced it had developed a sheathed thermocouple with an outside diameter of just 80 micrometres (0.00315 in). This is equivalent to the thickness of a human hair.

Smallest commercial jigsaw puzzle (minimum 1,000 pieces)

Who

Standard Project Limited

Where

Hong Kong

When

December 12, 2009

Details

The smallest commercially available 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle measures 182 x 257 mm (7.17 in x 10.12 in) and is manufactured by Standard Project Limited who produce Tomax puzzles in Hong Kong, China. It was measured in Hong Kong, China, on 12 December 2009.

Smallest purpose-built cinema in operation

Who

Cabiria Cine-Cafe

Where

Brazil

When

2009

Details

The smallest purpose-built cinema is the Cabiria Cine-Cafe which measures 24 m² (258.3 ft²) and has a seating capacity of 18. It was built by Renata Carneiro Agostinho da Silva (Brazil) in Brasilia DF, Brazil in 2008.

Smallest regularly operated theatre - seat capacity

Who

Lilli Chapeau

Where

Germany

When

2004 

Details

The smallest professional theatre has a maximum capacity of 27 seats and is the Theatre Lilli Chapeau, in Miltenberg, Germany, founded in 2004.

Smallest digital voice recorder

Who

Telesystems

Where

Russia

When

June 23, 2009 

Details

The smallest digital voice recorder is the Edic-mini Tiny A31, by Telesystems (Russia). It measures just 29×12×15 mm (1.14×0.47×0.59 inches) and weighs 6 g (0.21 oz). It was introduced in May 2009.

Smallest roadworthy car

Who

Perry Watkins

Where

United Kingdom

When

May 2009

Details

The smallest roadworthy car is "Wind Up" which measures 104.14 cm (41 in) high, 66.04 cm (26 in) wide and 132.08 cm (52 in). It was created by Perry Watkins (UK) and finished and measured in Wingrave, UK, on 8 May 2009.

Smallest tailored evening suit

Who

Saverio Moschillo

Where

Italy

When

April 25, 2009

Details

The smallest tailored evening suit was designed by designer John Richmond (UK) for He Pingping (China): the jacket was 21 cm (8 in) long and the trousers were 46 cm (1 ft 6 in) long. The suit was worn by He Pingping on the set of Lo Show Dei Record, on 26 April 2009.