(ORDO NEWS) — Ecuadorian researchers from the University of St. Francis in Quito have discovered two new species of glass frogs with completely transparent bellies. Thanks to this interesting feature, people can see the structure of internal organs without opening. We invite you to take a look.
Scientists from the University of St. Francis in Quito (Ecuador) have discovered two new species of glass frogs with transparent bellies, according to the Daily Mail.
Both species are very similar in appearance and live only a couple of miles from each other, so at first you might think that they are the same species. However, DNA analysis by the researchers showed that the frogs are actually different.
One of the authors of the study, Professor Juan M. Guayasamin, said that finding a new species of frogs is not so difficult – it is much more difficult to describe them, since taxonomists (systematists) do this. And here they are just not enough.
What are the new types of frogs
The new frog species were named Nouns’ glass frog and Mashpi glass frog . Unfortunately, almost immediately after their discovery, they were recognized as endangered amphibians.
The thing is that these frogs live in forest regions that are cut down for the needs of agriculture. In addition, these frogs have a cutaneous type of gas exchange, that is, they breathe not through the lungs or gills, but through the skin, so water pollution is fatal for them.
In this situation, it is likely that the unique species of glass frogs will eventually become an endangered species or disappear completely due to human activities.
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