Inspired by the new species Andrew showed us in class on Tuesday, I decided to do some research on other new species scientists have discovered in recent years. From microscopic organisms to monkeys, there are quite a number of interesting creatures that roam our planet, with many more waiting to be discovered. I found a somewhat newer species that was not only interesting to look at, but seemed applicable to SC200! Drum roll please… Centrolenidae! The glass frog! The most recent discovery (that I could find) was in 2004, by researchers from the University of Kansas, who found a new glass frog species in northwestern Ecuador.

 According to this article, these frogs live in forest, usually on mountains, above rainforests. These areas are called cloud forests. Depending on which specific glass frog it is (Pichincha, Nicaraguan, Fleischmann, to name a few) they can live anywhere from 200 feet to 7,800 feet above sea level. These areas get a large amount of rain, water being of great importance in a frog’s life, so they make their homes in trees and plants near streams. These slow streams are home to their tadpoles until they are old enough to leave the water.

So what makes these frogs so interesting? As you might have guessed, these frogs have almost completely transparent bodies. Their transparent undersides, as reported here, allow us to see their internal organs, bones, and blood vessels. The view from above the frog is not as telling of its inner workings, but in some kinds, it looks like frosted glass. Most of these frogs are green or brown, oftentimes with spots on its back and legs. Their translucency as well as their coloring allows them to hide from predators, and in most cases, researchers who just want to get a better look. Interestingly enough, some glass frogs have green bones, while others have white bones. Most males are smaller than females, but even then, both only range from 0.7 to 1.3 inches long.

Mudfooted reports conversationalists believe these frogs may be good bioindicators. A bioindicator , is a species that can help provide information about the environment it lives in. They report that as the world’s climate increases, the cloud forests will become too dry for these frogs. How do we know if such an event is occurring though? This site states that bioindicators can indicate the state of the environment due to their tolerance of environmental variability. If the cloud forests become too dry, the frogs may move down the mountain to other water sources. Likewise, if it is too rainy, they would not be present in the cloud forests because their fragile bodies can’t take heavy rain. In this case, a little rain can hurt somebody. This website continues by comparing traditional human measurements of the environment with those of a bioindicator. Humans measure the physical parameters of the environment at the time, whereas bioindicators can give information over a longer amount of time. A researcher’s chemical sample is only for the time it was taken, whereas the bioindicator’s lifespan or time in the area can tell the same if not more about the environment. Bioindicators can act as early warning signs of harmful events in a certain environment.

I was curious to find more information about glass frogs as a specific bioindicator, however, I only found the same general information. I wanted to know if the environment affects the frog’s physical appearance, or if their residence in an area is what makes them bioindicators. Perhaps after studying these frogs more closely, researchers will find different physical traits between glass frogs in different environments, but only time will tell. For now, we can only settle with the idea that the level of moisture in cloud forests correlates with the number of glass frogs in the area. If any of you find more information of these cool creatures, please let me know!