H. dianae, new frog species (Photo : Twitter)
It's not easy being a Kermit look-alike. Scientists working in Costa Rica have discovered a new glass frog species that looks incredibly like Kermit the Frog from the Muppets. The frog's similarity to the TV and movie fictional character is its bulging eyes and black pupils.
Researchers have discovered the frog in Costa Rica's Talamanca mountains. Besides the amphibian's Kermit-like features, the inch-long glass frog also has bright green skin and a clear underbelly, according to Mashable.
Scientists have named the new species Hyalinobatrachium dianae, after the head scientist's mother, Diane. The frog species' discovery is included in the February 2015 issue of the journal Zootaxa.
H. dianae avoided being detected for years because of its unique mating call. The long, harsh, whistle-like sounds are more similar to those used by insects rather than frogs, according to Christian Science Monitor.
Brian Kubicki, lead author of the study, says that the mating call is "quite unique." It is different from all other discovered frog species.
Besides the one-of-a-kind mating call, H. dianae also has structural and genetic features that are different from all other glass frogs.
Scientists are not certain about the function of the new frog's clear skin. However, their theory is that it functions as camouflage.
Among the total 149 species of worldwide glass frogs, 14 of them live in Costa Rica. The others are peppered throughout Central America and South America.
This is the first new species of glass frogs that scientists have discovered in Costa Rica since 1973. They discovered it on the Caribbean side of the Talmamca mountains, bordering Costa Rica and Panama.
Kubicki explains that the scientists needed to search in the areas that had been "poorly explored."
This is the second huge discovery of the team his year. Kubicki and his co-author have already published a paper about the discovery of Ecnomiohyla bailarina, a type of treefrog, last year.
Will scientists luck out and discover another Muppets look-alike soon?
