Odd-colored creature photographed in Australia. See the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ sighting
Scientists on a routine wildlife survey in Australia were stunned by the “once-in-a-lifetime” sight of an abnormally colored creature. Its “spectacular” coloring was caused by a rare genetic mutation.
Researchers routinely venture into a remote park known as the Charnley River-Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary to conduct nighttime surveys, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy said in a July 8 news release shared with McClatchy News.
During a recent survey, an odd-colored frog caught the team’s attention.
“It was after dark when we first spotted it, perched on a bench in the workshop near our research center,” Jake Barker, an ecologist with the conservancy, said in the release.
They recognized the amphibian as a magnificent tree frog, or Litoria splendida, but instead of having the normal green coloring, this frog was bright blue.
A photo shows the frog’s “spectacular” coloring. Aside from a green patch atop its head, the rest of its body is a blend of sky blue and lavender.
This atypical coloring is due to an “extremely rare” genetic mutation, the conservancy said.
“Very occasionally, a green frog is missing yellow pigment in its skin, and it results in an entirely or mostly blue frog,” Jodi Rowley, a curator of amphibians and reptiles with the Australian Museum, said in the release.
Another photo shows the typical forest green coloring of a magnificent tree frog.
“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,” Rowley said.
Experts with the conservancy believe “this is the first recorded instance of a blue color mutation in the magnificent tree frog.”
“It was very exciting,” Barker said. “Magnificent tree frogs are already spectacular, but to see a blue one is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”
Rowley described the sighting as “a rare encounter and one that highlights the spectacular diversity of Australia’s frogs!”
Magnificent tree frogs are only found in a remote region of northwestern Australia, officials said. They are “one of the largest species of amphibians in Australia,” reaching just under 5 inches in length.
The Charnley River-Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary is in Kimberley and a roughly 2,900-mile drive northwest of Sydney.
This story was originally published July 11, 2024 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Odd-colored creature photographed in Australia. See the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ sighting."
