Kermit the Frog is usually thought of as a fictional children's character, but the discovery of a previously unknown species of glass frog looks a lot like the fictional Muppet.
Hyalinobatrachium dianae, the previously unknown species of glass frog, was discovered in the Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica. A total of six specimens were collected from three locations between 1,300 and 2,950 feet above sea level. Researchers were able to recognize the frog as a new species due to its unusual look as well as a distinctive call.
"Hyalinobatrachium dianae was named in honor of the senior author's mother Janet Diane Kubicki. With the addition of H. dianae, Costa Rica is known to have 14 glass frogs inhabiting its tiny national territory! The last time a new glass frog was described from Costa Rica was back in 1973," the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center reports.
Of 149 known species of glass frog, 14 are native to Costa Rica. The animals are named after their distinctive transparent underbellies that reveal internal organs within their abdomens. This newly discovered species has large, sad eyes and long, thin limbs similar to Kermit the Frog.
The new species of glass frog was first seen in February 2015 in the Talamanca mountains, an area studied by wildlife investigators for over 100 years. Biologists searching for frogs in Costa Rica might have missed H. dianae until now due to the fact that the species emits a call more like an insect than an amphibian. The sound made by the animals during mating rituals resembles a long, pulsating, metallic-sounding whistle.
"Its advertisement call is quite unique. It's different than any other species that has been discovered," Brian Kubicki, lead author of an article announcing the finding, said.
Costa Rica, placed between North and South America, is rich with a wide variety of life. Although the country is only about the size of West Virginia, the nation boasts around 500,000 species of plant and animal species, roughly 5 percent of all those seen on Earth.
Kermit the Frog was first introduced on television in 1955 and was first seen by many people during appearances on Sesame Street. Later, the character, designed by puppeteer Jim Henson, went on to host The Muppet Show and appeared in several movies featuring the puppet-like characters. "The Rainbow Connection," a song performed by the banjo-playing frog, became a semi-hit following the release of The Muppet Movie in 1979.
It is unlikely Kermit himself was responsible for creating the newly discovered species, as his girlfriend is a pig, and species cannot interbreed to produce viable offspring.
Discovery of the new species of glass frog was detailed in the journal Zootaxa.
