It was named after John Tolkien.
Scientists discovered a new species of frog in Ecuador with pale pink eyes and golden fingers. The new species was named Hyloscirtus tolkieni in honor of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Live Science reports.
Researchers note that the frog looks like it came from Middle-earth, which is why it named in honor of the writer.
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“A new species of frog has an amazing color, and it seems that it lives in a fantasy universe like those that were created by Tolkien,” said Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia, director of the Zoological Museum of the University of San Francisco.
The length of the frog's body is 6.5 centimeters, it is grayish in color. Black dots dot the throat and the lower part of the legs. The frog's toes are marked with golden stripes, which also cover black spots. Hyloscirtus tolkieni has pale pink eyes that reminded scientists of otherworldly animals from fantasy worlds.
The new species was found in Rio Negro Sopladora National Park, an almost unexplored area of pristine paramo (alpine tundra) and cloud forest that occupies an area of more than 75 thousand hectares. Like other species of frogs, the found creature lives in the rivers of the Andes. Tadpoles ripen in rapids near rocks, and adults hide in lush vegetation near the shore.
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Earlier, scientists discovered five new species of snakes in the forests of Panama. One of them, with eyes like smoldering horns, was called DiCaprio's snake.
