7000th Amphibian Discovered in Peru!

We’re celebrating the 7000th amphibian with a song from amphibiaweb. Amphibian number 7000 is a new glassfrog from Peru, Centrolene sabini (Catenazzi et al 2012), which was discovered at high elevations in Manu National Park, Peru.

This recent find is a bit of a boost to the ecological community worrying about dwindling amphibian populations. Most believe the decline in amphibians can be attributed to loss of habitat, an increasing challenge of an ever-expanding human population, or to climate changes. Warmer overall temperatures can leave creatures open to a greater risk of parasites, fungal infections, and more.

Glassfrogs, the type of frog recently found, are transparent. Just search Google Images for "glassfrog" and you’ll see photos of frogs whose very guts you can see through their bellies! It’s pretty wild. So far, scientists have discovered 152 varieties of glassfrogs. However, an estimated 41% of all amphibians are endangered or at risk of becoming endangered, which begs the question, “How many more varieties will we never be able to discover?”

For now, we celebrate the discovery of this new-to-us critter:

You can hear the NPR news story and the song online. And, you can download the song for free, too.