Volunteers Sight Rare Chiquibul Frog

Two Trekforce Worldwide volunteers, Emma Cockroft and Andy Smith, have stumbled upon a rare frog whilst on their five day trek in the Chiquibul National Park in Belize.

Initially, the frog was believed to be a new species, and on contacting conservation expert Paul Walker from Wildtracks, it turned out to be a critically endangered species, Morelet's Tree Frog.

"The Morelet's Tree Frog is a nocturnal species occurring in the Maya Mountains that is green at night. Colour change is not uncommon in amphibians when they are hidden away at rest, but I'm surprised that the blue colouring is so marked: normally one expects 'sleeping colourss' to be more cryptic for camouflage." said Paul.

Emma, 18 and on her gap year, commented, "It was on the toughest day of the trek and we were almost at our camp. I was at the back and the bright blue colour caught my eye."

Trekforce's information on the frog's location and timing is vital to help ensure this critically endangered species is not wiped out.