A New Frog Has Been Discovered in the Cloud Forests of Peru

It's always exciting when a new species is discovered. From plants to animals, it's cool to know that there is still so much of this world left unexplored, and that we are always learning something new about the planet every day.

Take the discovery that some conservationists and researchers made in Peru. According to them, they believe that they've uncovered a new species of tree frog in the cloud forests of the Peruvian Amazon, and they say the local community is to thank for the find.

That's because locals have been diligently working in the San Martín region to help combat deforestation. And it was through these efforts that they found a new species of frog in Peru. But, their excitement may have been short lived, since the discovery was almost immediately overshadowed by the damage that deforestation has done to the ecosystem in the region, including what it has done to decimate the populations of this already tiny frog.

You can learn more about the new frog below.

Experts have discovered a new frog species in Peru named Oreobates shunkusacha (or Shunku Sacha, which means "heart of the forest"). According to Mongabay, the frog was found by scientists and local community members that were working together with Indigenous associations, which helped them to go deep into the unexplored cloud forests of San Martín.

Experts from Peru and France were within the Bosques de Vaquero Biocorridor when they found the reptile within a pile of leaves.

Measuring just about one inch long, the frog has dark brown skin and a golden iris. The frog lives high in the cloud forests, which stand more than 4,400 feet above sea level, in an area that isn't often explored by humans.

In fact, the unique structure of the cloud forests essentially cause these areas to create separate sections that are isolated in the same way islands would be, creating individual ecosystems for the plants and animals that call the remote and hard to reach region home.

Discovered in 2022, one of the scientists who was part of the expedition where the frog was discovered says that species could already be considered endangered thanks to humans. Their only hope? A team of 30 volunteers who spend their time trying to fight deforestation using community-led events and activities.

“The greatest challenge is ensuring the protection of the biocorridor,” the president of the local ecological association told Mongabay.

The publication notes that the region has lost 60 percent of its forest cover over the past four decades. Small-scale cacao and coffee farming, illegal logging, and livestock grazing appear to be the biggest culprits.

Unfortunately, the impacts only seem to be growing as time goes on, and several other parts of the region's ecosystem have been destroyed, including a nearby lake that has become full of sedimentation thanks to erosion.

Hopefully the discovery of the little frog will help the community push back against deforestation efforts to preserve both the known and the unknown creatures that call the forest home.