New Frog Species Discovered In 2015 Looks Like Kermit The Frog [Photo]


A new frog species discovered in 2015 just happens to look very similar to the famous Kermit the Frog. So what is this new glass frog species, and when will it get a meme?

In a related report by the Inquisitr, in New Zealand, a rare oarfish was found and photographed without anyone realizing how amazing their find really was. To make matters worse, the oarfish disappeared from the beach, and now it is hoped that no one tried eating the 10-foot long sea serpent.

Scientists at the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center announced they discovered a new frog species, which is only one inch long and has bright green skin, a translucent underbelly, and bulbous white eyes with black pupils that give it an uncanny likeness to a certain fictional character. Although its resemblance to the Muppet Kermit the Frog is undeniable, Hyalinobatrachium dianae was named after the head researcher’s mother, Janet Diane Kubicki. Scientific reports do not make any mention of the similarities with the famous fictional frog, but it was not its appearance that had researchers proclaiming a new frog species.

Although they agree that the new glass frog species is “distinguished by its morphological characteristics,” they note that the “distinct advertisement call” is what really gives it away.

“It’s advertisement call is quite unique,” Kubicki said, according to the Christian Science Monitor. “It’s different than any other species that has been discovered.”

The frog’s unique call used by males to attract females is a single tonal metallic whistle that has “a duration of 0.40–0.55 s (average 0.501 s) and a dominant frequency of 3.35–3.44 kHz (average 3.39 kHz).” When Brian Kubicki, Stanley Salazar, and Robert Puschendorf published the study about the new frog species in a 2015 issue of Zootaxa, they also shared more information on their website for why this new frog species is unique.

“This new species was described from six specimens collected at three different sites along the Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica between 400 to 900 meters above sea level. With the addition of H. dianae, Costa Rica is known to have 14 glassfrogs inhabiting its tiny national territory! The last time a new glassfrog was described from Costa Rica was back in 1973.”

Other notable features include the transparency of the underbelly, although they are uncertain what purpose it serves. They also noted that the genetic distance from other species support their claim of a new frog species.

What do you think about this new frog species? Do you think the researchers should have named it H. kermit in honor of the Muppet?

[Image via the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center]

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