New Frog Species Looks Oddly Familiar

Is that you, Kermit?
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 21, 2015 4:55 PM CDT
Updated Apr 25, 2015 7:29 AM CDT
New Frog Species Looks Oddly Familiar
A long-lost brother of Kermit, perhaps?   (Brian Kubicki)

If a new frog species discovered in Costa Rica looks familiar to you, you're not alone. The Hyalinobatrachium dianae is causing quite a stir because of its resemblance to a certain Muppet, Mashable reports. Yes, Kermit has found a twin in this frog with bright green skin and bulging eyes—one of 149 "glass frog" species with a translucent underbody that reveals its innards. Described in a new study, the inch-long frog was spotted in the Talamanca mountains and may have evaded scientists for some time because its "advertisement call," which Costa Rica's Tico Times describes as a "long metallic whistle with rapid pulses," sounds more like an insect's than a frog's.

"Costa Rica is a very well-studied area by herpetologists so this discovery was surprising," says scientist Brian Kubicki, who named the frog after his mother, Diana. However, he adds that six specimens of the species—the first glass frog found in the country since 1973—were found in an area that was "poorly explored" previously. So what does Kubicki think of H. dianae's resemblance to Kermit? "I think it is great that this species is getting so much attention around the world," he tells CBS News. "Hopefully this will help increase the awareness of the incredible amphibians found in Costa Rica and the need to continue studying them and conserve their vital habitats." (A frog discovered in New York City has a croak unlike any other.)

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