New multi-coloured frog species discovered in Cambodia by Fauna & Flora International
Last updated 22/12/2008 00:42:12
New frog species with green blood and turquoise bones
A new species of frog, with green blood and turquoise-coloured bones, has been discovered in Cambodia's remote Cardamom Mountains by international conservation organisation Fauna & Flora International (FFI).
The Samkos bush frog is thought to be extremely rare. Its strange coloured bones and blood are caused by the pigment biliverdin, a waste product usually processed in the liver.
In this species, the biliverdin is passed back into the blood giving it a green colour; a phenomenon also seen in some lizards.
The green biliverdin is visible through the frog's thin, translucent skin, making it even better camouflaged and possibly even causing it to taste unpalatable to predators.
The new frog is just one of four frog species discovered by FFI in Cambodia - including the Cardamom bush frog, Smith's frog, the Aural horned frog. These species have only ever been seen in the peaks of the Cardamom Mountains.
Fauna & Flora International consultant naturalist and photographer Jeremy Holden, who discovered the Samkos bush frog, said: "When I found the frog, I had a thrilling suspicion that we were looking at an entirely new species of amphibian.
"Photographing these frogs has been a challenge. They were extremely difficult to find, but we managed to get some excellent shots and record them for posterity."
FFI's Senior Conservation Biologist, Jenny Daltry, was the first scientist to discover Smith's frog: "Finding a new species is always exciting. There is no doubt in my mind that there are new species waiting to be discovered in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains.