Shape-Shifting Mutable Rain 'Punk Rocker' Frog Discovered In South America's Andes Mountains

Mimicry and camouflage are an important survival tool used by a number of creatures to hide their real identity and prevent them from predators. However, this newly found species of frog has unique shape-shifting property, making it the first amphibian of its own kind.

Known as “mutable rain frog” or “punk rocker,” this rare frog has been found by a team of researchers Choco Cloud Forest Reserve known as the “Reserva Las Gralarias” in the Andes Mountain. The aforementioned biodiversity hotspot habitates a number of rare species of butterflies, birds and other endemic organisms.

The mutable rain frog was first accidentally observed by the married couple, Katherine and Tim Krynak, in 2006 when they captured its photo, and since then, they had been searching for this unique species of amphibian, also known as the Gralarias glass frog, endlessly trailing through the bioreserve. Listening through the call of all typed of frogs, their search ended in 2012 when they were finally able to locate the Gralarias glass frog in the reserve.

Pristimantis mutabilis, derived the name “punk rocker” because of its punk rock-looking appearance and the spiny textured skin. According to the researchers, the frog can mutate its appearance from spiny to smooth and vice-versa quickly within a period of five minutes. The duo speculates that the shape-shifting spines help the frogs merge into the texture of the dense moss in the cloud forest.

"It wasn't until we saw the amazing texture of its skin that we though 'Wow, this is something different'!" says Katherine Krynak, reported The Science Times.

The discovery has been published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

To report a problem or to leave a feedback on the article, send an e-mail to emailtoguneet@gmail.com.