A Croak is Worth a Thousand Words, or in this Case, the Discovery of a New Frog Species

Living in New York City, the closest things to the wild that I experience are the occasional chirps of birds and the scarce tress that are scattered in parks. So, when I found out that a new frog species was discovered in the ponds and marshes of my petite, neighboring borough, Staten Island, I was shocked and excited.

This frog species, which is unnamed at the time but has been dubbed "the weird Rana", has been hopping about New Jersey and New York for many years. Biologists were well aware of the existence of these frogs, but they believed that this species was just another variety of the leopard frog because of their similar appearances.

But, then came the odd croak- a short croak that repeated and was very different from any of the 14 leopard frog species discovered so far. This prompted scientists from UCLA, Rutgers University, UC Davis, and The University of Alabama to unite and investigate whether this frog was a new species altogether. By comparing the DNA of

the leopard frog species with these new frogs, the scientists found that their hunch was right and that these frogs were indeed a new species.

Personally, after I found out about this remarkable find, my hopes were lifted, because I realized that even in such an urban and populated area, there is still the chance for wildlife to survive and be healthy. But then, I wondered, why are these frogs limited to such a small region? Maybe, their population was once more abundant and spread out in more places besides New York and New Jersey. This brings me to the major problem we face: the dramatic decline in amphibians. Right now, about one third of the amphibians on our planet are threatened from a variety of reasons, one being global warming. This is such a scary thought and I plan to dedicate my next blog post on this issue.

Ending with a more positive note, hopefully this new finding will encourage more discoveries of animal species in my hometown of New York City. Who knows, maybe there is some unknown, exotic species right in your own backyard waiting to be discovered.

Sources:

Brain Clark Howard "New Frog Discovered in NYC: Freshwater Species of the Week" National Geographic March 16, 2012

Hiding in Plain Sight, a New Frog Species with a "Weird Croak" Is Identified in new York City ScienceDaily March 14, 2012

"Hiding in Plain Sight: Rutgers Scientist Discovers New Frog Species in New York and New Jersey" Rutgers University March 14, 2012

Kellie Whittaker "Amphibian Population Declines" The Biodiversity Group

Picture Credit: Eric Begin (via Flickr)

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