Lets face it, unless its a huge Rat or roach, New York City is the last place you’d expect to discover any new species. scientists from UCLA, Rutgers University, UC Davis, and the University of Alabama have just announced the discovery of a new species of frog in the journal; the leopard frog.

Scientists have not yet named the amphibian, so they are currently calling it ”Rana sp. nov.,” meaning “new frog species,” although they sometimes call it “the weird Rana,” one researcher admitted.

 

Observers have noted for some time that certain leopard frogs in the New York and New Jersey area have different-sounding calls to their kin, although it wasn’t until recently that scientists used DNA analysis to confirm that the animals are genetically distinct from the dozen or so other species of leopard frogs.

 

This newly identified wetland species likely lived on Manhattan, before it was largely drained and paved over, as well as other low spots throughout the five boroughs and beyond.

 

Pretty cool when you think about it. We reached out to Rana’s publicist, but were unable to obtain any comment.