New "Flying" Frog Species Has Amazing Feet (Pictures)

Jodi Rowley

In Vietnam, researches recently conducted an extensive study on a newly discovered "flying" frog.  The frog, dubbed Helen's flying frog, is named after discoverer Jodi Rowley's mother.   Jodi, an amphibian biologist at the Australian Museum in Sydney, is the lead author of the new study.

Jodi Rowley

Currently, scientists have identified 80 species of flying frogs.  The unique creatures have the ability to "parachute" from tree to tree due to special aerodynamic feet and unique shape.  Helen's flying frog is "one of the most flying frogs of the flying frogs," Rowley said, "in that it's got huge hands and feet that are webbed all the way to the toepad." 

The new flying frog study was published in December 2012 in the Journal of Herpetology.  Original article was posted here.