Glass frog is at risk of extinction

A newly identified frog species — with transparent skin through which its beating heart is visible — is under threat of extinction.

The frog (Hyalinobatrachium yaku), discovered in the Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador, has unique physical and behavioural traits.

“Males guard the eggs, which are attached below a tree’s leaves, until they hatch and fall on the water stream below,” said Juan



Guayasamin of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador.

“Not all glass frogs have hearts that are visible through the chest. In some, the heart itself is white, so you don’t see the red blood,” said Paul Hamilton, of Biodiversity Group.

“If the stream dries up, or becomes polluted, the frogs can’t survive, and other more resilient creatures may be next,” he said.