Scientists discover 12 new frog species in India

[xchrom]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/9856107

Associated Press= NEW DELHI (AP) — Years of combing tropical mountain forests, shining flashlights under rocks and listening for croaks in the night have paid off for a team of Indian scientists that has discovered 12 new frog species plus three others thought to have been extinct.

It's a find the team hopes will bring attention to India's amphibians and their role in gauging the health of the environment.

Worldwide, 32 percent of the world's known amphibian species are threatened with extinction, largely because of habitat loss or pollution, according to the group Global Wildlife Conservation.

"Frogs are extremely important indicators not just of climate change, but also pollutants in the environment," said the project's lead scientist, biologist Sathyabhama Das Biju of the University of Delhi.

[HopeHoops]

1. I didn't know India HAD frogs.

[BadgerKid]

2. All hail Hypnotoad!