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Kid, but highly poisonous and dangerous, and may even be lethal, has just been discovered in the Amazon, in the Juruá watershed, in the Acre region that bears the same name as the river, a type of frog hitherto unknown to science. Exemplary captured by scientists to samples revealed that the frog, including its tadpoles, is highly poisonous.
The warning was made by a team of wildlife researchers at the National Amazon Research Institute (INPA), who discovered the species in collaboration with a colleague from the Czech National Museum. At first, the species was called the Venous Sapo-Flecha, whose natural habitat is the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. The group ventured into the depths of the tropical rainforest to learn more about species that live in still parts of the jungle. The study was published in the journal PLOS One.
Still in the jungle, the researchers photographed and filmed the frog in their natural habitat/ Photo: Reproduction
Despite extensive research efforts, many parts of the Amazon rainforest remain poorly studied due to their isolation. In this new endeavor, the researchers first flew on a small plane and then made a 10 -hour boat trip through the Juruá River basin, followed by a long walk through the tropical forest with local guides. This led them to an area dominated by Palmeiras.
DNA’s analysis revealed that the frog was a new species of the genus Ranitomeya. The team promptly called Ranitomeya Aquamarina, in honor of its dominant feature: long-sky-blue lines along the body. The frog also has copper legs with brown spots and a wide than long head.
Still in the jungle, the researchers photographed and filmed the frog in its natural habitat. They found that he issued a single mating call, consisting of 16 to 35 notes, lasting eight to 16 milliseconds. The new frog, like most venenous frog frogs, is tiny, with only about 1.5 to 1.7 centimeters. It also represents the first new species to be added to the genre in 10 years.
The team noted that the frogs were generally more active at the beginning and end of the day, although they changed their routine during the rainy season. They also noticed that frogs tend to live among Banana trees and often hide under fallen palm leaves. They were observed only in a small part of the forest.
In the full description text of the animal, published in the scientific journal Zookeys, the researchers say that the diversity of frogs is still very little known in the Amazon, especially in the low and middle Juruá River region.
“Although we are just taking the first steps to unravel the biodiversity of this area, we already have evidence of the extraordinary richness of local fauna and we have already identified many new candidate species,” they say.
In an Instagram post, Alexander Tamanini Mônica, an Inpa postdoctoral researcher, shared photos of the species and a text, which states:
“Personally, this discovery brought challenges, growth and, above all, hope.”
