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As the name suggests, nasal toads have a long olfactory organ
Photo: Joern Koehler / Landesmuseum Darmstadt / dpa
During an expedition in a national park in Peru, researchers discovered a new species from the group of nasal toads on the roadside.
Scientists working with zoologist Jörn Köhler from the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt made the surprising find in November 2019. However, genetic analyzes have only now confirmed that it must be a previously unknown species.
The toad group belongs to the genus Rhinella.
According to the museum on Monday, this species is characterized by a particularly long nose.
Unlike other toads, it is not brown, but predominantly green in color.
However, the genetic examination was decisive for the identification of the new species "Rhinella chullachaki".
Guardian of the forest
Chullachaki is the name of a mythical creature from Amazonia who is described as the guardian of the forest.
According to legend, it can take various forms and cause harm to people who do not treat nature with respect.
"We are pointing to the ongoing destruction of habitats in the Amazon," says one of the scientists involved, Ernesto Castillo from the Natural History Museum in Lima.
The discovery by German and Peruvian researchers came as a surprise, according to the researchers.
The animal was not found in an untouched rainforest after days of hardship, but on a stream on a busy street - next to the parked car of the scientists.
The road is one of the few main arteries over the Andes, which connect the capital Lima with the Amazon lowlands.
koe / dpa
