The Most Fascinating Species Discovered In 2022

March 2024 · 2 minute read

On occasion, a species makes scientists work extra hard to discover it. Such was the case with the tapir frog, a tiny fudge-colored amphibian that was unearthed as part of a larger survey (per MongaBay). According to a 2022 study published in Evolutionary Systematics, researchers found the tiny hook-nosed frog in the Amazon peatlands, a rare wetland habitat in the Amazon rainforest of Peru.

As the research team later revealed to MongaBay, it was far from an easy process. The frogs lived underground, buried deep beneath the peat. But their beeping calls gave them away. In order to catch one, the researchers had to press their ears to the ground, listen for the calls, then dig until they got lucky. Their efforts paid off, and they eventually captured three frogs, which genetic analysis revealed to be members of a new species.

Something about the frog's smooth-skinned appearance appealed to people immediately, and the species made quite a stir on Twitter in early 2022. As MongaBay notes, comparisons were made between the tapir frog and the chocolate frogs of "Harry Potter." Researchers hope that the buzz the species created will translate to greater protection for its rare habitat. "[There's a] huge conservation opportunity to conserve the whole corridor, watershed, and surrounding area," Michelle Thompson – one of the researchers who described the frog – told MongaBay, adding, "This tapir frog is another piece of evidence of why scientists and local people need to work together to protect this region."

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9kG9ocXBoZMGpsYympqysXZuutK%2FIp5itoZ6cerS8xJygnqtdmba0r86vnKudlGK2r3mRaWlrZw%3D%3D