New Golden Frog Discovered
Posted by: Loren Coleman on August 29th, 2007
A new poisonous frog was recently discovered in a remote mountainous region in Colombia by a team of young scientists supported by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP). The new frog, which is almost two centimetres in length, was given the name the “golden frog of Supatá.”
Originally, the young scientists thought the frog was similar to several other common species in the area. However, after scientific analysis of the frog’s characteristics, and review of their findings by experts at Conservation International, it was determined that the golden frog of Supatá is unique and only found within a 20 hectare area in Colombia’s Cundinamarca region. Colombia is one of the world’s richest countries in amphibian diversity, with more than 583 species.
Unfortunately, since this frog is a recent discovery, and endemic to only the Cunidnamarca region, little is known about it. So far, scientists say that the golden frog of Supatá belongs to a group of “dart frogs” that are known to be highly venomous. In the coming months, the young scientists hope to have more information about the frog.
“The importance of this project is not just the discovery of the new frog,” said Oswaldo Cortes, team leader and one of the winners of the 2007 Conservation Leadership Programme awards. “But, most importantly, what this new discovery shows is how little we still know about our planet, and the many species that haven’t yet been discovered. This is why it is so important to work with local communities and educate them about the need for conservation.”
In addition to Oswaldo Cortes, the team of scientist includes Erika Salazar, Giovanni Chaves, Jose Gil, and Ximena Villagran, students, who attend La Universidad Distrital, and Francisco Jose de Caldas and Luiz Alberto Rueda of the University of the Andes (La Universidad de los Andes).
Source: “New golden frog discovered in remote region of Colombia,” Eureka Alert Release, August 28, 2007.
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hey loren interesting new article about a golden frog. thanks bill green
This is awesome!
This is great to hear, as it seems amphibians are in dire straits in many areas where they once thrived. I am sometimes a bit of a nit-picker, so naturally I note that in the text above the newly discovered frog is described once as “poisonous” and once as “venemous.” My understanding of the difference between these two terms is that “venomous” refers to creatures which deliver a toxic substance, referred to as “venom,” through a bite or scratch, etc.; and “poisonous” refers to anything which contains or exudes some sort of “poison”; a toxic substance which is usually ingested or absorbed through skin or some other membrane. So living creatures can be venemous or poisonous (generally as a defense mechanism), but plants can also be poisonous, whereas only animals are venemous. I’m not sure this is accurate though. Someone please correct me if they know better.
Score!