Introducing Hyalinobatrachium yaku, a newly-discovered species of glassfrog that lives in the Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador.
A new study published in ZooKeys describes the frog, which was discovered by Juan M. Guayasamin from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador.
The distinctly Kermit-like creature features dark green spots at the back of its head and back, and measures just two centimeters in length.
But this frog’s most notable feature is its translucent pericardium, a membrane enclosing the heart which extends from its belly all the way up into its chest and lower jaw.
Looking at its underside, you can see the frog’s kidneys, urinary bladder, reproductive system, and most remarkable of all, its heart.
Many glassfrogs, such as C. resplendens, H. munozorum, and T. midas, have transparent bellies, but H. yaku features one of the clearest transparent undersides ever seen in a glassfrog species.
The populations exhibited similar physical characteristics, but distinct behaviors.
In the third location, where human activity is rampant, the frogs were seen perching on leaves of small shrubs, ferns, and grasses.
The glassfrogs in this third location were as far as 100 feet (30 meters) from the nearest stream, which they need to reproduce.
Oil extraction in the region, and related water pollution, road development, habitat degradation, and isolation, are making it exceptionally difficult for this delicate species to thrive.