Dozen New Frogs, Plus Three 'Extinct' Ones, Found

Kempholey Night Frog

Twelve new frog species, including one that meows like a cat, were recently found in the forests of Western Ghats, India, according to a paper published in the latest issue of Zootaxa. 

The findings also include three species that were previously thought to be extinct: the Kempholey night frog, Coorg night frog and forest night frog. (Credit for all images: Global Wildlife Conservation/ Sathyabhama Das Biju)

Coorg Night Frog

Forest Night Frog

All of the found and re-discovered species belong to the night frog group, genus Nyctibatrachus. Thanks go to S.D. Biju, an amphibian biologist at the University of Delhi, and his team for tirelessly scouring the wildlife-rich Western Ghats region and performing DNA testing of the frogs. Over the years, Biju and his colleagues have discovered an astounding number of new frog species, 45. That number is likely to increase.

Animal discoveries, however, often come with serious concerns, since many of these species are few and far between and in desperate need of conservation help. At present, 32 percent of the world's amphibian species are threatened with extinction.

"The major threat to amphibians in India is massive habitat loss," Biju was quoted as saying in a press release. "Any conservation action taken for amphibians will also conserve some of the world's most unique wildlife."

Below are the 12 new frogs, starting with the one that meows like a cat. (Several frog species make similar sounds, such as the one in the video here.)

Meowing Night Frog

Daniel's Night Frog

Deven's Night Frog

Gavi Night Frog

Indraneil's Night Frog

Jog's Night Frog

Periyar Night Frog

Pillai's Night Frog

Shiradi Night Frog

Spinular Night Frog

Vub Night Frog

Wayanad Night Frog

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