#cloudforest
NAME THIS FROG
One of the treasures of discovering a new species is that you get to name it.
Well, in this case, that could be you.
I’ve heard of organizations auctioning off new species, such as the new dracula orchid species Leonardo DiCaprio named after his mother, but this is the first time I’ve heard of one being left up to chance… in the form of a raffle.
Each $1 gets you a shot at naming this new species of frog, found in the cloud forests of western Colombia.
This tiny amphibian, the length of a paper clip, depends on horizontal rain for survival in the cloud forest habitat. Females lay eggs in bromeliads or forest litter where water accumulates. Unlike other frog species, this one bypasses the tadpole stage to emerge as fully formed miniature froglets.
The raffle will close at the stroke of midnight Dec 31st, along with this bizarre year.
The winner will be called January 1st, where they will get to choose the new name, for the new frog, in the new year.
All of the money raised will go to preserving the cloud forest this frog and many other rare and endangered species call home.
Ribbit.
@bioconservancy
#newspecies #frog #cloudforest #namethisspecies #biodiversity #conservation #colombia #southamerica
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIQbs2dBVpe/?igshid=klwq2e16cupl
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The photo shoot would have been a lot more enjoyable if I didn’t know they were going to kill the model at the end of it.
He looked so handsome against the white, well-lit backdrop. The glowing box he was inside illuminated his long, elegant tail as he tilted his head inquisitively for his close-up.
It’s for a good cause, “for science,” Luis Mazariegos PhD, reassured me.
Earlier during lunch, the three park guards excitedly rushed back through the muck, disembarking from their fully swamped rubber boots at the entrance to the main lodge, placing an assortment of plastic containers on the table in front of us. They had found the lizards they were looking for: 6 specimens to be the representatives of a new species. I peered into the container to see their darkly colored scales, punctuated by a flashy racing stripe down the middle of their backs, extending all the way to the tip of their tapered, whip-like tails, fading from vibrant orange to sage green. Except, that is, for the fatter, older male who appeared to be in the process of growing his tail back. He clearly narrowly escaped death at least once already and what re-emerged as his tail looked more like a stubby wizard’s hat extending out behind him.
@bioconservancy
#thehummingbirdconservancy #newspecies #endemic #cloudforest #conservation #colombia #science (at Reserva Natural Mesenia - Paramillo)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHsWFfkhQoH/?igshid=18qyk316zjh0p
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