Otherworldly 'Lord of the Rings' frog discovered in the mountains of Ecuador

Scientists in Ecuador have discovered a newfound species of stream frog with pale pink eyes and gold-speckled toes that looks like it came straight out of Middle-earth. That's why the researchers who discovered it named it Hyloscirtus tolkieni after J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of "The Hobbit'' and "The Lord of the Rings" books.
"The new species of frog has amazing colors, and it would seem that it lives in a universe of fantasies, like those created by Tolkien," Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia, director of the Museum of Zoology of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) and associate researcher of the National Institute of Biodiversity in Ecuador, said in a statement.
The researchers describe the "Lord of the Rings'' frog in a study published Jan. 19 in the journal ZooKeys. H. tolkieni is 2.6 inches long (6.5 centimeters) and grayish green in color. Black spots dot its golden-yellow throat, belly, flanks and the undersides of its legs. The frog's fingers and toes too, are covered in black specks and broad skin stripes. The creature boasts an arresting pair of dusty pink eyes with black irises, which reminded the researchers of the otherworldly animals in their beloved author’s fantasy worlds.
Otherworldly 'Lord of the Rings' frog discovered in the mountains of Ecuador