Recently, a scientist discovered a type of frog that looks a lot like Kermit.
Kermit the Frog is a muppet—a well-known puppet frog who has bulgy eyes and is a special shade of green.
The frog found in Costa Rica looks a lot like that. It has big google-eyes with black pupils that sit on the top of its head, and it is a uniform shade of bright lime green, similar to Kermit. Just about the only thing it’s missing is Kermit’s signature pointy collar. (And Kermit’s ability to speak, of course.)
The recently discovered frog is a type of glassfrog. It has been named Hyalinobatrachium dianae, after the mother of one of the scientists; her middle name is Diane.
The announcement of the new frog was made by the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center.
Glassfrogs get their name from the way their tummy looks. Many of them—including this new frog—have translucent skin on their stomach, meaning that you can see through it. You can see some of the frog’s organs including the heart and liver.
Scientists think that the glassfrog developed a translucent tummy so that it would be hard to spot as it sits on a branch or leaf. That means that other animals that want to eat it would have a more difficult time finding it.
Related links
This article on the DailyTech website has many more interesting facts about glassfrogs, as well as a photo of its translucent belly.
Website for the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Biodiversity is the study of the many different living organisms on Earth and their habitats. What living organisms interest you most? Why do you find them fascinating? What interesting facts do you know about them?
Reading Prompt: Elements of Style
Today’s article covers a scientific topic, biodiversity. What “elements of style” help to communicate this?
Primary
Identify some elements of style, including voice, word choice, and different types of sentences, and explain how they help readers understand texts (OME, Reading: 2.4).
Junior
Identify various elements of style – including word choice and the use of similes, personification, comparative adjectives, and sentences of different types, lengths, and structures – and explain how they help communicate meaning (OME, Reading: 2.4).
Intermediate
Identify various elements of style – including foreshadowing, metaphor, and symbolism – and explain how they help communicate meaning and enhance the effectiveness of texts (OME, Reading: 2.4).
Language Feature: Em Dash ( — )
The em dash ( — ) is a punctuation mark that tells the reader that important additional information is coming up. Today’s article contains two sentences that use the em dash:
Many of them—including this new frog—have translucent skin on their stomach, meaning that you can see through it.
Kermit the Frog is a muppet—a well-known puppet frog who has bulgy eyes and is a special shade of green.
Place an em dash (or two) in the following sentences to highlight additional information.
- Steven from down the street is visiting for a few hours.
- The Royals will win the series if they can get timely pitching.
- At my dance school, I studied modern but tap is my favourite.
