New golden frog discovered in remote region of Colombia
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 Supat谩."
Originally, the young scientists thought the frog was similar to several other common species in the area. However, after scientific analysis of the frog鈥檚 characteristics, and review of their findings by experts at Conservation International, it was determined that the golden frog of Supat谩 is unique and only found within a 20 hectare area in Colombia鈥檚 Cundinamarca region. Colombia is one of the world鈥檚 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 Supat谩 belongs to a group of 鈥渄art fogs鈥� that are known to be highly venomous. In the coming months, the young scientists hope to have more information about the frog.
鈥淭he importance of this project is not just the discovery of the new frog,鈥� said Oswaldo Cortes, team leader and one of the winners of the 2007 Conservation Leadership Programme awards. 鈥淏ut, most importantly, what this new discovery shows is how little we still know about our planet, and the many species that haven鈥檛 yet been discovered. This is why it is so important to work with local communities and educate them about the need for conservation.鈥�
Source: Conservation International
