First-Known Footage Of
Rare Frog
By Rebecca Morelle
An incredibly rare frog
has been filmed for the
first time, scientists
believe. The red-eyed
stream frog is found in
Costa Rica, but it is
now thought to be
critically endangered.
The tiny, vividly
coloured frog was
spotted by a team from
the University of
Manchester, Chester Zoo
and Costa Rican
naturalists.
The frog was caught on
camera by BBC News,
which is following the
researchers as they are
working on frog
conservation programmes.
Andrew Gray, from
Manchester Museum at the
University of
Manchester, who is
leading the expedition,
said: "This frog has
been classified as being
one of the most
critically endangered
frogs in Costa Rica.
"They are so rare and
locating them is
extremely difficult - we
have been very lucky to
find it. We believe that
this particular species
has never been filmed
before."
The red-eyed stream
frog, or Duellmanohyla
uranochroa, measures
just 2-3cm in length,
and has bright red eyes
and a vivid green colour.
This male was discovered
in the Monteverde cloud
forest area where it was
sitting above a stream
calling for a female.
The team played a
recording of the soft,
whistle-like call of
another male red-eyed
stream frog, which
prompted him to call
back, enabling them to
locate the little
amphibian.
Mark Wainwright, a
naturalist from Costa
Rica who has joined the
team, said: "This frog
is endemic to the
mountains of Costa Rica
and western Panama. It
was very common before
the [amphibian]
population crash of the
late 1980s but now it
maintains only very
small populations.
"By any measure, this is
a rare frog. And if you
do not know the call,
you probably aren't
going to see one."
He added that there were
many rare species in
Costa Rica, where little
is known about them.
"The vast majority of
frogs here have never
really been studied," he
said.
Amphibian numbers have
fallen dramatically in
the last few decades -
but highland areas like
Monteverde seem to have
been particularly hard
hit. Some believe this
may be to do with a
fungus that has swept
through the area.
The team from the
University of Manchester
took a spectrometer into
the forest to look at
the properties of this
frog's skin. This
non-invasive technique
allows them to see how
much light the frog is
reflecting.
The researchers believe
that the ability to sit
out in the sun may allow
the frogs' skin to heat
up just enough to kill
off chytrid - preventing
the disease from taking
its grip. |
