Discovered a new tiny frog with 3 toes

On a trip to the Atlantic rainforest reserve in southern Brazil, biologist Michel Garey happened to discover a very small new frog species and especially only three toes.

Although found in 2007, it was not until June last year that scientists officially recognized the species as Brachycephalus tridactylus . That information was published in Herpetologica magazine, an international magazine specializing in the research and conservation of reptiles and amphibians. 'It took 18 months from the beginning of 2011 to collect seven new frogs, bring it to the museum to compare with other frogs before making that conclusion , ' Garey said.

Frogs have only three fingers with a length of less than 1.5cm.

B.tridactylus was found at a height of about 900 meters, the most striking feature is the disappearance of the fourth toe, a common characteristic in the evolution of frogs in general. B.tridactylus is extremely small in size with a length of less than 1.5cm, mainly orange spots of olive gray spots and small spots on the body, males can make about 30 delivery calls Coordinate in a day.

Garey said he still cannot calculate the number of these frogs. They are one of 43 species of amphibians found in the 2,253 ha protected area located in Guaraquecaba, Parana. Experts estimate that about 950 amphibian species live across Brazil and more than 6,700 species worldwide.

Cold amphibian animals such as frogs, toads, salamanders, newts . are increasingly being threatened by climate change, pollution and the appearance of a dangerous fungal infection, related to global warming. According to an extensive survey of world amphibians called Global Amphibian Assessment, one-third of known species are threatened with extinction, more than 120 species are thought to have become extinct since 1980.