Readers ask about shrinking toads, defining distance in an expanding universe and more

Toad talk

Guttural toads on islands in the Indian Ocean have shrunken limbs and bodies that may be evidence that “island dwarfism” can evolve quickly, Jake Buehler reported in “Toads on two islands are shrinking fast” (SN: 12/19/20 & 1/2/21, p. 13).

“I thought that island dwarfism usually happens to quite large animals … and that small animals … tend to evolve to larger sizes on islands,” reader Tim Cliffe wrote.