Scientists from the University of Costa Rica (UCR) have announced the reappearance of the Heredia Robber Frog (Craugastor escoces), an amphibian thought to be already extinct. She was rediscovered in Juan Castro Blanco National Park in Alajuela. The frog is brown, with a red belly and striped lips. This amphibian was declared extinct in 2004 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but he had us all fooled, because the Robber Frog is back. He was removed from the list of extinct animals earlier this year.

The female specimen was discovered by M.Sc. Gilbert Alvarado-Barboza, a biologist and veterinarian, who at the time of the find was pursuing a doctorate at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. He was assisted by fellow graduate student M.Sc. Randall Jimenez-Quiros of the University of Ulm, Germany.

The discovery of the frog was made in a ravine at an altitude of 5,971 feet, which indicated to scientists that there is probably a whole population of these frogs surviving in Juan Castro Blanco Park. The exact location of the find has not been released, to prevent further interruption of the frog environment.

Here is how Alvarado described the discovery, “It was a completely clear night, without rain, starry, with a full moon – that is with all the conditions present to NOT see frogs. These frogs like to live in caves around the ravines.” And yet, the scientists spotted the glowing frog eyes of the Robber Frog, as she perched on a small boulder outside a cave. Alvarado and Jimenez could not believe their good fortune. They captured her to take back to the lab to study, as little is known about the Craugastor escoces.
UCR’s Vice Rector for research celebrated this rediscovery as follow, “Being able to announce the rediscovery of a species considered extinct, should fill us with happiness. But it is also a wake-up call to take immediate measures for the preservation of species whose populations are highly vulnerable.”

A researcher from the University of Australia has published a study examining recent animal extinctions within two vulnerable groups of animals – reptiles and amphibians – and the results are alarming. They indicate that approximately 200 frog species have already gone extinct, and hundreds more may be on their way out.
But for now, welcome back Heredia Robber Frog; the world needs you.

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