An exploration team trekked deep into the cloud forests of Brazil, and were shocked at what they stumbled across.
Seven new species of tiny little frogs that are smaller than a fingernail and come in bright colors are catching the attention of the scientific community.
These miniaturized frogs were found following five years of exploring the southern Brazilian Atlantic rainforest, according to a Mirror.co.uk report.
They are about 1 centimeter in length and were found high up in the remote cloud forests, and one species was found for each individual peak.
Marco Pie, who works as a professor at the Universidade Federal do ParanĂ¡, led the exploration teams, and said in the report that the quest to examine those sites was “exhausting,” but completely worth it and an exciting adventure that was fueld by “anticipation and curiosity” about finding a new species.
The new frogs are classified under the genus Brachycephalus — first discovered all the way back in 1842 by a German naturalist. New discoveries in this family are rare because it is so difficult to get to these cloud forests.
And the explorers aren’t done yet. Although seven species is a nice hull for an expedition, they expect to do more in the future by conducting more hikes to this remote area of the world.
Although the new frogs are adorable, you should be kissing them: they contain a neurotoxin that would result in paralysis or even death, as their bright colors suggest.
The species are threatened by environmental changes, as since they are so isolated and live in such a small patch of the jungle, a small change could cause their species to go extinct.