New frog species found in Colombia

I just can't resist a good frog-centered blog post. So I wanted to pass on an article about new species found in Colombia! From an MSNBC article:

"The animals were cataloged during an expedition to the mountainous Tacarcura area of the Darien, near Colombia's border with Panama. Conservation International's experts on amphibians joined forces with bird experts from the Ecotropia Foundation, with the support of the area's indigenous Embera community.

During their three-week expedition, the scientists identified about 60 species of amphibians, 20 reptile species and almost 120 species of birds, many of them apparently found nowhere else, Conservation International reported. [...]

The newfound amphibian species include three types of glass frogs, three types of poison dart frogs, two species of rain frogs, a salamander and a harlequin frog."

While this region is still being hard-hit by clear cutting and forest destruction, it's nice to hear about some positive findings. Especially when they involve our little amphibian friends, who not only help with the spread of disease but who serve as environmental indicators and harbingers of what's to come. Click on the pic to the right to view a slideshow of the findings!