smallest living thing?

[the>one]

can someone settle a pub arguement andtell me the smallest living creature?.....thanks 

[dove]

the largesr mammel (sp) is an elephant and the smallest is a shrew!

[the>one]

thanks dove but i need...smaller

[Kingaroo]

I was just reading about dust mites and body mites recently.  Hundreds of them can live on a flea.

[Cetti]

I seem to remember a  microscopic life form called an Amoeba.

[fiddlerkent]

I found this...does it help?

A Hymenopteran parasite now holds the record. Megaphragma caribea from Guadeloupe, measuring out at a huge 0.17 mm long, is now probably the smallest known insect in the world.

I reckon that's a strong contender for the smallest animal, but your question says 'living creature'.  I don't want to get technical 'cos I don't know enough about it.  But 'living creature' would encompass protozoans, bacteria and other little things.

To give a short answer to your question.....I don't know!

[Rabelais]

If you take the definition as an organism that has contained within it all the necessities to reproduce itself (unlike viruses which need to hijack other cells), then the smallest organisms are mycoplasmas of which there are multiple sort which are about 0.2-0.3 micron long or 200-300 nanometres. Where a nanometre is one billionth of a metre.

[pixi]

hey T1, the smallest living creature on ab is ME!!!!! lol   Not sure what smallest living creature in world is though (knowing my luck, its probably still me :(   )

[priyawarekar]

 it is a complicated question to answer because in a mammal it is a PYGMY SHREW Shrews in the genus Suncus range widely in size (head and body length: 20 - 100 mm (0.8 - 4")) and weight (2.5 - 106 g (0.1 - 3.8 oz)).

  in birds it is the BEE HUMMING BIRD It�s only 3 � inches long same goes with the insects i hope this might help you

[hairylemon]

the amoeba..he's one single cell big

[ilovetaz]

I heard there are some little mites that crawl up and down your eyelashes

[ilovetaz]

im sure that has to small, you wouldn't want elephant clinging on to your eyelashes!

[ilovetaz]

that would hurt!

[ilovetaz]

if you go onto www.google.com and click on images, then search mite there are lots of piks

[ilovetaz]

or www.nick.co.uk/binweevils there is a game on weevils?