The Artholeptis troglodytes, also known as the "cave squeaker" because of its preferred habitat, was discovered in 1962 but there were no reported sightings of the elusive amphibian after that.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Valley Morning Star. </s> It was in 1962 when the so-called “cave squeaker” frog was first found in the Chimanimani Mountains in Zimbabwe. The animal given the official scientific name Arthroleptis troglodytes was distinguishable by its dark-red hue and mucus-covered body, but it took more than 54 years before the second example of this creature was confirmed.

According to the Guardian, Arthroleptis troglodytes got its unusual nickname due to its chosen hideout, and since its discovery in 1962, it’s been considered one of the rarest amphibians in the animal kingdom. Due to a lack of confirmed sightings in the five decades since then, the frog was placed in an international red list of “threatened” animal species and was thought to be extinct, if not critically endangered.

Robert Hopkins, a research associate at the Natural History Museum in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, led the expedition to search for the cave squeaker, and he confirmed that there were four A. troglodytes specimens spotted in the Chimanimani Mountains, the same site of the original sighting. The first male specimen was found on December 3 after researchers heard an unusual animal call, and this was followed by two more males and a female.

According to Hopkins, he had spent the last eight years hunting for the cave squeaker but was not present when his colleagues spotted the animal, on account of his advanced age.

The Christian Science Monitor added in its own report that the new discovery, which was made in December 2016, came six years after several scientists from around the world had kicked off an initiative to search for frogs and salamanders that hadn’t been sighted in a decade or more. As such, the cave squeaker’s new sighting bodes well for this initiative and its success.

“These sorts of things are always good news, because there’s so much bad news in the realm of amphibians right now,” said Zoo Atlanta director of research Joe Mendelson, speaking to the Christian Science Monitor.

Mendelson added that when species are sighted once again after disappearing for multiple decades, that often results in a conundrum of sorts, where researchers aren’t sure whether the animal’s population is on the uptick again, or if the sighting represented one of the last few stragglers with the species gradually dying out over time.

Although the cave squeaker’s sighting is good news for conservationists, statistics from recent years show some troublesome signs for amphibians in general. The Christian Science Monitor wrote that the fact that these animals live on land and water makes them a good “gauge” of an ecosystem’s health at any given point. But as of 2004, statistics show that over 1,850 species of amphibian, or 32 percent of all species, are “considered threatened with extinction.” That’s much higher than the 12 percent of birds and 23 percent of mammals listed as threatened species.

Those numbers are now 13 years old, but a recent statement from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources suggests that the data “remains relevant” even up to this day.

Still, Hopkins and his associates have plans for the cave squeaker, as the Guardian noted. These plans include breeding the frogs and increasing their number, then reintroducing them to their natural habitat in the mountains of Zimbabwe. There are concerns. However, that other scientists may want to capture the frogs and illegally export them, due to the huge buzz generated by the discovery.

According to Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokeswoman Caroline Washaya-Moyo, local authorities have guarded against this possibility, and will “do everything in (their) power” as they work on a plan to protect the cave squeaker. </s> The cave squeaker returns: Rare frog seen after decades

Researchers in Zimbabwe say they have found a rare frog that hasn't been seen in decades.

The Artholeptis troglodytes, also known as the "cave squeaker" because of its preferred habitat, was discovered in 1962 but there were no reported sightings of the elusive amphibian after that. An international "red list" of threatened species tagged them as critically endangered and possibly extinct.

In this Dec. 3, 2016 photo, a man holds a rare frog that hasn't been seen in decades, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The Artholeptis troglodytes, also known as the ¿cave squeaker¿ because of its preferred habitat, was discovered in 1962 but there were no reported sightings of the elusive amphibian after that. An international ¿red list¿ of threatened species tagged them as critically endangered and possibly extinct. (AP Photo/ Francois Becker)

Robert Hopkins, a researcher at the natural history museum in Bulawayo city, said his team had found four specimens of the frog in its known habitat of Chimanimani, a mountainous area in the east.

The team found the first male specimen on Dec. 3 after following an animal call that they had not heard before, Hopkins said. They then discovered another two males and a female. Hopkins said he been looking for the cave squeaker for eight years.

"I was not with my team when they were found. I was at the base. I can no longer climb the mountains as I am 75," Hopkins said.

Researchers plan to breed more frogs with the ones taken from their habitat and then reintroduce them to the mountain summit. The frog is tiny and light brown with dark spots.

Now authorities fear for the frogs' security, especially from "the scientific world" whose huge interest could result in the frog being captured and illegally exported. Hopkins said 16 specimens are on display at various museums, including the British Museum.

"We are expecting an influx of scientists looking for it. We will do everything in our power to protect and conserve the frog," said Caroline Washaya-Moyo, spokeswoman for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. She said a park management plan will be devised to protect the cave squeaker. </s> HARARE, Zimbabwe — The cave squeaker is back.

Researchers in Zimbabwe say they have found a rare frog that has not been seen in decades.

The Arthroleptis troglodytes, below, also known as the cave squeaker because of its preferred habitat, was discovered in 1962, but there were no reported sightings of the elusive amphibian after that. An international “red list” of threatened species tagged them as critically endangered and possibly extinct.

Robert Hopkins, a researcher at the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe, in Bulawayo, said his team had found four specimens of the frog in its known habitat of Chimanimani, a mountainous area in eastern Zimbabwe.

The research team found the first male specimen on Dec. 3 after they followed an animal call they had not heard before, Mr. Hopkins said. They then discovered two other males and a female. Mr. Hopkins said he been looking for the cave squeaker for eight years. </s> Researchers in Zimbabwe say they have found a rare frog that hasn't been seen in decades.

The Artholeptis troglodytes, also known as the "cave squeaker" because of its preferred habitat, was discovered in 1962, but there were no reported sightings of the elusive amphibian after that.

An international "red list" of threatened species tagged them as critically endangered and possibly extinct.

Robert Hopkins, a researcher at the natural history museum in Bulawayo city, said his team had found four specimens of the frog in its known habitat of Chimanimani, a mountainous area in the east.

The team found the first male specimen on December 3 after following an animal call that they had not heard before, Hopkins said. They then discovered another two males and a female. Hopkins said he had been looking for the cave squeaker for eight years.

"I was not with my team when they were found," Hopkins said. "I was at the base. I can no longer climb the mountains as I am 75."

Researchers plan to breed more frogs with the ones taken from their habitat and then reintroduce them to the mountain summit. The frog is tiny and light brown with dark spots.

Now authorities fear for the security of the frogs, especially as huge interest from "the scientific world" could result in the animal being captured and illegally exported. Hopkins said 16 specimens are on display at various museums, including the British Museum.

"We are expecting an influx of scientists looking for it," said Caroline Washaya-Moyo, spokeswoman for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

"We will do everything in our power to protect and conserve the frog."

She said a park management plan will be devised to protect the cave squeaker. </s> A rare frog that has not been seen in decades and listed as possibly extinct has made a reappearance once again.

Researchers in Zimbabwe said they have found four specimens of the Artholeptis troglodytes, known as the “cave squeaker,” in its known habitat of Chimanimani, a mountainous area in the east.

Robert Hopkins, a researcher with the natural history museum in Bulawayo city, said his team found the first male specimen on Dec. 3 after following an animal call that they had not heard before.

CHIMP LEADER KILLED, EATEN BY HIS FORMER SUBJECTS

He said they have been looking for the cave squeakers for eight years.

"I was not with my team when they were found. I was at the base. I can no longer climb the mountains as I am 75," Hopkins said.

The team also found discovered another two males and a female.

The cave squeakers were first discovered in 1962, but there were no other reported sightings of the elusive amphibian after that.

Researchers plan to breed more frogs with the ones taken from their habitat and then reintroduce them to the mountain summit. The frog is tiny and light brown with dark spots.

Now authorities fear for the frogs' security, especially from "the scientific world" whose huge interest could result in the frog being captured and illegally exported. Hopkins said 16 specimens are on display at various museums, including the British Museum.

"We are expecting an influx of scientists looking for it. We will do everything in our power to protect and conserve the frog," said Caroline Washaya-Moyo, spokeswoman for the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. She said a park management plan will be devised to protect the cave squeaker.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> After five years of extensive explorations in the Western Ghats in India, researchers have discovered seven new frog species, known as Night Frogs.

The adorable creatures are among the smallest in the world, and four of the new species are tiny enough to fit on a fingernail.

Despite only just being discovered, the researchers warn that five of the new species are under direct threat of extinction, and urge environmentalists to set up conservation programmes immediately.

Researchers from the University of Delhi discovered the frogs in the Western Ghats, which is known to be a hotspot for biodiversity in India.

Unlike other frogs in the genus that live in streams, the new miniature frogs were found under damp leaves and vegetation.

The researchers were surprised by the relative abundance of these previously unknown species at their collection localities.

Sonali Garg, who worked on the study, said: 'The miniature species are locally abundant and fairly common but they have probably been overlooked because of their extremely small size, secretive habitats and insect-like calls.'

In the lab, the frogs were confirmed as new species using DNA studies and detailed analysis of sounds the animals produce.

Until now, 28 species of Night frogs were known, but the new finding takes the total to 35 species.

The discovery of the new species can provide useful insights into the evolution of frogs in the Western Ghats.

The past decade has seen a huge increase in the number of new amphibian species described from this region.

Of the 1,581 new species of amphibians found globally in 2006-2015, the highest number were from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, followed by the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot, with 103 species described alone from the Western Ghats region.

But the researchers warn that the future of many of the new species may be bleak.

Professor SD Biju, who led the study, said: 'Over 32 per cent, that is one-third of the Western Ghats frogs are already threatened with extinction.

'Out of the seven new species, five are facing considerable anthropogenic threats and require immediate conservation prioritisation.' </s> A newly discovered amphibian, with a propensity for burrowing its head in the ground, is to be officially named Dermophis donaldtrumpi, after Donald Trump and his stance on climate change.

The name was chosen by UK sustainable building materials company, EnviroBuild, after it won naming rights at an auction held to raise money for Rainforest Trust.

The creature, discovered in Panama, is a caecilian — a legless, burrowing amphibian. It also has rudimentary eyes which can only detect light or dark. “Capable of seeing the world only in black and white, Donald Trump has claimed that climate change is a hoax by the Chinese,” said EnviroBuild co-founder Adrian Bell in a statement.

The amphibians also live almost entirely underground, believed to have lost their limbs at least 60 million years ago, as an adaptation to burrowing. This same behavior, according to EnviroBuild, also “helps Donald Trump when avoiding scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change.”

“As demorphis donaldtrumpi is an amphibian, it is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and is therefore in danger of becoming extinct as a direct result of its namesake’s climate policies,” Bell said.

Trump has long been known to be skeptical of climate change. “Global warming is a total, and very expensive, hoax,” he tweeted in 2013.

In November, he dismissed a study produced by his own administration warning of the potentially catastrophic impact of climate change. “I don’t believe it,” he had told reporters, CNN reported.

EnviroBuild paid $25,000 for the naming rights at the auction, and according to Bell, the opportunity to name a species, which is usually reserved for biologists who spend often painstaking years in the field, was too good an opportunity to miss.

“The name will still have to undergo peer review, something that biologists EnviroBuild have spoken to had stressed the importance of, but multiple species are named after Presidents, and this amphibian will soon join the vulnerable list,” he said. </s> Scientists have discovered new frogs so tiny they can sit on a thumbnail.The seven new frogs were discovered in the forests of the western coast of India.They live on the forest floor and make insect-like calls at night. Scientists say there are a lot of these new frogs, and that they were likely overlooked because they are so small, their habitats are hard to find, and they don't make typical frog sounds.
The cave squeaker (Arthroleptis troglodytes), a critically endangered species of frog, is located and captured for the first time since 1962. Scientists announce plans to breed.