10 Household Items That Are Bigger Than the World's Smallest Mammal

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How tiny is the world’s smallest mammal? Have you ever paused to think about that? This is the bumblebee bat, known by its other name, Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, and it weighs just 2 grams and is about the size of a large jellybean. This small creature, found in Thailand and Myanmar, can perch on your fingertip. You can’t help but be amazed by that delicate, featherweight thing of nature. But it also begs the question: What everyday things in our homes outsize this miniature mammal?

Let’s walk through our houses, and compare the mighty bumblebee bat to some surprising things we frequently overlook. You’ll be amazed what will tip the scales against this flying marvel, from your pantry staples to the random knickknacks on your desk.

A paperclip

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On the face of it, it would not matter, but the humble paperclip weighs more than the bumblebee bat. Most standard paperclips weigh about 1 gram each, so two of these little office staples already outweigh our winged friend. If you’ve ever lost a paperclip on the floor and spent 10 minutes looking for it, you may have a new appreciation for just how much bigger they are compared to the bat.

A Single Grape

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Heavier than the bumblebee bat is one grape—just one. The average grape weighs 5 gram, so there’s no contest. Next time, when you munch on a handful, consider how much weight you’re holding in your palm, a whole family of bumblebee bats. That’s fruit for thought!

A Ping Pong Ball

Ping pong balls are hollow and lightweight and so seem all insignificant. But they weigh in at about 2.7 grams. And it’s heavier than the bumblebee bat, which means that even something that feels like nothing can be a little bit hefty in comparison to one of the smallest things in nature.

A Teaspoon of Sugar

If you’ve ever measured out sugar for your morning coffee, then you’ve already got an idea of how four grams feels. A teaspoon of the sugar would be double the weight of a bumblebee bat. To think your sweetener outweighs a living, breathing mammal is wild.

A Stick of Gum

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One stick of gum, still in its wrapper, weighs about 3 grams. But that’s one chewable, pocket sized reminder of just how small the bumblebee bat is. It’s amazing, though, how easily we toss gum in our bag or pockets and how forgettable something heavier than a bat can be.

A Slice of Bread

The average slice of bread weighs in at 25 to 30 grams, enough to outweigh about 10 bumblebee bats. That sandwich in your lunch bag seems much more impressive now that you realize that it carries the weight of an entire colony!

A AA Battery

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So many gadgets need batteries and a single AA battery weights 23 grams. It’s enough to overshadows over 11 bumblebee bats. It’s strange to think that a power source in your TV remote has a bigger punch than one of the smallest creatures on Earth.

A Dice

A dice is more than double the weight of the bumblebee bat. They are about 5 grams or more in weight, depending on the make and material. The next time you roll a dice during game night, picture it being twice the size of a little bat somewhere in Thailand. Just that thought might make your game a bit more intriguing.

A Pack of Sticky Notes

The bumblebee bat is dwarfed by a small pad of sticky notes which weighs about 90 grams. If a single sticky note doesn’t feel like much, just imagine the awesomeness of the lightness of the bat itself.

A Penny

A penny weights 2.5 grams which is only a fraction larger than the bumble bee bat which weighs 2 grams. Sure, coins don’t seem like much to us these days, but the relative weight of the coin compared to the bat is another reminder of how mind boggling it is that something so small can fly so fast.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.