Hiding in Plain Sight

It seems that news articles come in with regularity about new species that are discovered in places such as the remote jungles of Indonesia, or the little explored dark abyss of the ocean. It's not often that you hear of a new species being discovered in an urban area. But that is precisely what has recently happened.

A doctoral student from Rutgers University, Jeremy Feinberg, heard a frog call that he was unfamiliar with back in 2009, in Staten Island. It was similar to the well known southern leopard frog, which has a repetitive nature to its call, yet the call that the doctoral student heard was not repetitive. After lab tests and field work, Feinberg and his team of other scientists have made the conclusion that there is a new species of leopard frog among us here in the tri-state area. Genetic analysis shows that the new frog is indeed a different species, despite looking so similar to the northern and southern leopard frogs that are known to inhabit the area.

The new species, which has yet to receive a name, has a range that is believed to be within the "commuting distance to mid town Manhattan."

Picture from the NYT

Original article from the New York Times