Scientists discover new marsupial frog species in Peru

Researchers from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and the University of California identified a new species of marsupial frog in the Alto Mayo Protection Forest in northern Peru.

The team named the species Gastrotheca sanmartin to honor the San Martín region. This type of frog carries its embryos in a pouch on its back, allowing the offspring to develop into small frogs without becoming free-swimming tadpoles.

The discovery resulted from more than ten years of research following the find of an adult female in a wet grassland at an altitude of 3,254 meters in 2014. The Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas announced the finding as evidence that the region still holds many undocumented species. Ivonne Paico, the head of the Alto Mayo Protection Forest, stated that the discovery confirms the importance of protecting mountain ecosystems.

These environments house unique species that science has yet to identify.