The frog, named Greta Thunberg’s rainfrogs (Pristimantis gretathunbergae) is tiny, at about 3 to 4 centimeters in length.
An international team of researchers have discovered a tiny rainfrog in the rainforests of Panama and have named it after climate activist Greta Thunberg. The scientists first discovered the frog on Panama’s Mount Chucanti, in the cloud forests at high elevation.
The frog, named Greta Thunberg’s rainfrogs (Pristimantis gretathunbergae) is tiny, at about 3 to 4 centimeters in length (1.1 to 1.5 inches) and can be found in bromeliads that are attached to trees. The researchers say the frogs spend almost all of their time sleeping, mating and laying their eggs in the bromeliads.
The frog lives high in the Maje Mountains, in the cloud forests at elevations reaching 1,439 meters. The frog is different from other Pristimantis spp. species in Panama in that it has a poorly defined tympanic membrane, no vocal slits, and no nuptial pads. The frog is cream colored with reddish irregular blotches, brown thighs and a reddish groin area above and yellow below. The iris is almost black with pale spots, and a yellow upper lip.
The complete paper describing the frog, A new rainfrog of the genus Pristimantis (Anura, Brachycephaloidea) from central and eastern Panama, can be read on the ZooKeys website.
