Hyalinobatrachium dianae

In April 2015, the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center announced the discovery of a new species of glass frog in Costa Rica, Hyalinobatrachium dianae (also known as Diane's bare-hearted glass frog). The frog's skin is lime green, with transparent abdominal skin that makes the frog's internal viscera visible from the outside. The frog was discovered by researcher Brian Kubicki, who named it after his mother, Janet Diana Kubicki, as thanks for supporting his interest in science.
Unlike other glass frogs, the Hyalinobatrachium dianae has bulging white eyes with horizontal black pupils which many media reports suggested looks like Kermit the Frog's eyes. Headlines included:
* "Kermit the Frog likeness found in Costa Rica" - UPI, April 20
* "Scientists Claim They Found a New Species of Frog, and It Looks Like Kermit" - Time, April 20
* "New species of frog found in Costa Rica looks just like Kermit" - Mashable, April 20
* "New Species of See-Through Frog Found, Looks Like Kermit" - National Geographic, April 21
* "Newly discovered glass frog looks just like Kermit" - Washington Post, April 21
Asked for comment on April 22 by the website Live Science, Kubicki said, "Prior to the media making the link between Hyalinobatrachium dianae and Kermit the Frog I had no thought about the resemblance, but I can see where they came up with this idea that has created such a sensation with this newly described species. I am glad that this species has ended up getting so much international attention, and in doing so it is highlighting the amazing amphibians that are native to Costa Rica and the need to continue exploring and studying the country's amazing tropical forests.""Megan Gannon, "Kermit the Frog Look-Alike Discovered in Costa Rica". Livescience.com, April 22, 2015.
Kermit himself was interviewed for the site Oh My Disney, which posted "Kermit the Frog Reacts to His Newly Discovered Lookalike" on April 25:
==See also==
* Muppet eyes
==Sources==
__NOWYSIWYG__
Category:Internet Mentions
Category:Scientific Mentions