New Species of Frog Named After Led Zeppelin
A new species of frog discovered in the Ecuadorian Andes has been named after Led Zeppelin.
Plenty of recently-discovered species have been named after rock and metal acts, such as a venomous snake named after James Hetfield, a crab titled after Nightwish, and a tarantula dedicated to Dave Mustaine. Scientists simply have great taste in music, as evidenced by researchers David Brito-Zapata and Carolina Reyes-Puig.
The two scientists discovered Pristimantis ledzeppelin within the Cordillera del Condor, which sprawls out between the borders of southeast Ecuador and northeast Peru. The small frog, which can grow up to 3.6cm long, can be identified by its coppery-red eyes and multicolored (yellow, brown, black and orange) skin. The frog now known as ledzeppelin is just one of 28 Pristimantis species found in the past two years, with 569 species discovered so far in total.
“The name honors Led Zeppelin and their extraordinary music,” Brito-Zapata and Reyes-Puig write in the Neotropical Biodiversity journal. “Led Zeppelin was a British rock band formed in London in 1968, one of the most influential bands throughout the 1970s, and progenitors of both hard rock and heavy metal.”
The scientists also note Pristimantis ledzeppelin is at risk of losing its habitat due to farming, logging, mining, disease and climate change. “Due to the high endemism of the Cordillera del Cóndor, the new species here described is likely to be found only in this restricted area, therefore it is important to consider new long-term initiatives for small vertebrate conservation actions.” [via The Guardian]
Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant even reacted to the frog’s discovery, tweeting about the new species while referencing famed guitarist Robert Johnson: