{"id":683887,"date":"2024-07-19T16:15:56","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T20:15:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mymodernmet.com\/?p=683887"},"modified":"2024-07-19T14:42:52","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T18:42:52","slug":"blue-mutation-magnificent-tree-frog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mymodernmet.com\/blue-mutation-magnificent-tree-frog\/","title":{"rendered":"Rare Blue Tree Frog Discovered in Remote Part of Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Blue

Photo: Jake Barker\/Australian Wildlife Conservancy<\/p><\/div>\n

Land managers at a wildlife sanctuary in Western Australia were in for a treat when a frog hopped into their workshop. As the amphibian sat on a bench and gazed up at them, they couldn't help but be fascinated by its blue color. So they snapped a photo and sent it over to Jake Barker, a field ecologist at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy<\/a>. Barker couldn't believe what he saw.<\/p>\n

“Seeing the picture of the frog, it definitely elevated my heart rate,” Barker told ABC News<\/em><\/a>. “It was so cool, it was a really exciting and special thing.”<\/p>\n

The magnificent tree frog (Litoria<\/em> splendida) is typically green with white spots. This large tree frog is found in a limited range that includes Kimberley, where the sanctuary is located. Finding a blue member of the species is extremely rare, as they're often quickly spotted by predators. In fact, it's the first time the Australian Wildlife Conservancy has seen a blue magnificent tree frog.\n<\/p>\n

“Frogs have blue and yellow pigments in their skin. That usually combines to form green, so most frogs are green,” Barker shares<\/a>. “And this is a rare mutation called axanthism<\/em>, when the yellow pigments are inhibited and it just leaves the blue to come through. And for it to be pretty much the entire frog blue is really rare.”<\/p>\n

Jodi Rowley, curator of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology at the Australian Museum, backed up Barker's conclusion<\/a>: “I’ve seen tens of thousands of frogs over the years, and only seen one blue frog—and it was nowhere near as spectacular as this magnificent tree frog. A rare encounter and one that highlights the spectacular diversity of Australia’s frogs.”<\/p>\n

The species can live for up to 20 years, and, given its size, Rowley believes that it is a few years old. “It's a very healthy frog,” Rowley says. “It's definitely a showy frog. It's one of the most beautiful frogs I've ever seen.”<\/p>\n

Magnificent tree frogs are usually green, but a frog with a blue mutation was found in Western Australia.<\/h2>\n
\"Magnificent