New Frog Species Found —in New York City

Distinct type of leopard frog has been long overlooked
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 14, 2012 1:31 PM CDT
New Frog Species Found —in New York City
This is a southern leopard frog. It's not the New York variety, but they look a lot alike.   (Flickr)

Scientists have found a new species of frog especially notable for one odd fact: If you mapped its territory, the center would fall somewhere around Yankee Stadium, reports the New York Times. It's a type of leopard frog, and it's gone undiscovered all this time probably because it looks very much like other leopard frogs, especially the southern variety. A scientist noticed it had a distinctive mating call, and DNA tests confirmed the new species. No name yet, but the fact that it also roams in Jersey might make a "New York" moniker tricky.

“Here is a brand-new species, and it’s not a species of bacteria or a barely visible insect,” says one biology professor. “It’s a big amphibian, and kids have probably been catching and playing with it for years.” (More frogs stories.)

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