Muppet fans could have a reason to pack their bags and travel to Costa Rica, after a new glass frog species with translucent skin has been discovered that looks like the Kermit the Frog Muppet character from the children’s puppet series, the Muppets. Kermit is a green frog puppet designed by Jim Henson, which has also appeared in several children’s films and cartoons around the world.
The frog has the same green hue as the lovable puppet, as well as his googley bug-eyed black and white eyes that stick out from his head. These kinds of frogs are identified by the fact that their body organs can be seen through their translucent skin, and this new glass frog is said to have a very distinctive call, as well as different coloring and texture to its skin.
New Glass Frog Discovered by Scientist
The new glass frog species was found by Brian Kubicki, a scientist in his travel in Costa Rica, and the small amphibian only lives in specific areas of both Central and South America. It is a delicate species, according to Kubicki, and the fact that it was in the habitat shows that the ecosystem in the Talamanca Mountains is doing well.
The scientific name of the new glass frog is Hyalinobatrachium dianae, or H. dianae. The Kermit the Frog-like amphibian is around two and a half centimeters long, with very long and skinny legs. There are about 149 species of glass frogs, and 14 of these live in Costa Rica.
Scientists Study New Glass Frog To Find Differences
Scientists have found six specimens of the new glass frog that look like Kermit, and they were living in high elevation areas in the western areas of Limón and Heredia. This particular kind of green frog has a very strange call compared to some of the other frog species, and this is thought to be one of the reasons it hasn’t been identified until now. According to the scientists, the new glass frog species has a long sounding metallic whistle-like call with several fast pulses that actually make it sound more like an insect than a frog. The Kermit the Frog-looking glass frog also was found to have differences in its morphological and its genetics.
This is a great discovery for the scientists who study frogs that live in this region of the world. It is expected that more scientists will travel to the area to do more fieldwork in finding out more about this new glass frog that Muppet lovers are sure to also fall in love with!
Inspired to travel in search of frogs? Check out this short video about Puerto Rico, known for its native frog, the coqui:
https://youtu.be/5LUkR3WQUTc
