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Newly Discovered Species of Rain Frogs Named After Teenage Environmental Activist, Greta Thunberg:

Updated: Jan 31, 2022

Author: Minna Adlan


There is a new species of rain frogs that has been discovered in Panama. Those species were named after Greta Thunberg, a Swedish environmental activist, for a great reason, but first what are those rain frogs?


Well, the Pristimantis gretathunbergae is a tiny frog with such remarkable distinctive black eyes and radiant colors, that was discovered in the cloud forest on the Cerro Chucantí reserve. A cloud forest also known as a ‘water forest’ is a place that is characterized as a tropical/sub-tropical area and is located on higher elevations, like mountainous areas.



Pristimantis gretathunbergae. Credit: Pensoft Publishers


The Greta Thunberg rain frog was found on Mount Chucanti, which was a sky island that was surrounded by lowland tropical rainforest located in eastern Panama. It was definitely a long journey to get to that place, where in order to reach their destination, according to the Innovation News Network, “Reaching its habitat in the cloud forest required access via horseback through muddy trails, hiking up steep slopes, by-passing two helicopters that crashed decades ago, and camping above 1000 m elevation.”


The Private Cerro Chucantí Nature Reserve, that according to the International Conservation Fund of Canada, has a very important goal of, “Long-term protection of a cloud forest ecosystem and its endemic and threatened species”, which leads us to the next point of why this rain frog was named after her.



The habitat of this tiny frog is under threat, which in turn poses danger on this organism as well. There has been a great pressure to clear the area for the purpose of cattle ranching. Guido Berguido, who is a biologist, expedition leader, and a conservationist, said regarding this matter, “…what struck me as sad was that even at such a remote location there was ongoing slash and burning of the rainforest, and most of the land around my campsite had already been cleared for cattle ranching. On a subsequent visit to Cerro Chucantí, I once again saw more rainforest cleared and burned to ashes nearby. That is when I couldn't take it anymore, and decided that I had to do something to stop this madness!”


Not just the Greta Thunberg rain frog but other organisms are at great risk due to deforestation and climate change. Greta Thunberg, has been confronting world leaders about such environmental issues, not just to preserve the environment for future generations but for the sake of mother nature, that we took for granted.



No matter what your age is, this is an issue that we collectively as humans should work on. It could be as simple as posting on your social media page to raise awareness about the matter, or taking the bus instead of riding your own car, whatever helps, do it, because the more ‘each’ one of us contributes, the more effective we’ll be in preventing more damage.


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Written by: Minna Adlan


 
 
 

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