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He Finally Located Source of Mysterious Sound–A New Frog Species Named After His Rewilding Quest in Costa Rica
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He Finally Located Source of Mysterious Sound–A New Frog Species Named After His Rewilding Quest in Costa Rica

A nature-lover's ears led to the discovery of a new frog species after Donald Valera Soto searched for 6 months to find elusive creature.

Science & Tech

A nature-lover’s well-trained ears led to the discovery of a new species of frog, after the Costa Rican man searched for six months to find the source of a mysterious sound.

The tiny green frog was discovered by Donald Valera Soto, a naturalist and co-owner of Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, a cattle ranch that he turned into a wildlife reserve.

“We as country boys, we know sounds,” said Soto. “I grew up in the forests walking around learning to identify species of trees, birds and frogs. I listened to this little frog and it was almost impossible to find it, it was so well camouflaged.”

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“I was really happy when I found it,” said Soto, who chose the frog’s common name—tapir valley tree frog—to honor its 20-acre wetland home.

The biggest clue that it was a new species was a yellow line, which runs about halfway down the frog’s flanks then abruptly stops. The Canal Zone Tree Frog (Boana rufitela) also has a yellow line, but the line continues the entire length of the frog’s body. The team looked through books and scientific literature, but the characteristics didn’t match any other known species of frog.

Stopped in his tracks

Soto first heard the tapir valley tree frog’s shrill call among the sounds of more than 10 other frog species, while he was working around a wetland pond after the first heavy rains of the year in late March 2018. He had been planning to expand the wetland area to make it more hospitable to migratory species of birds during their journeys between North America and Central and South America. The unfamiliar frog call stopped him in his tracks as he was walking through the wetland and prompted him to investigate which frog was making it.