New Amphibians FoundNear Border of Colombia and Panama

Nine new frog species and one new salamander species have been discovered in the mountainous Tacarcuna region of northern Colombia, according to the group Conservation International. The species includes three poison frogs, three glass frogs, one harlequin frog, two types of rain frogs, and one salamander. “Without a doubt, this region is a true Noah’s Arc,” said Jose Vicente Rodriguez-Mahecha, the conservation group’s scientific director in Colombia. Conservation International hailed the discovery as an encouraging sign and called for increased protection of the heavily forested region, 25 percent of which has already been logged or cleared for ranching, agriculture, mining, and other forms of development. Amphibian populations are increasingly under threat worldwide from deforestation, development, and climate change, with up to one-third of amphibian species facing extinction this century, scientists say.