It’s plump, purple, and its ancestors probably lived among dinosaurs 175 million years ago! It’s a new species of frog. Doesn’t it sound and look ugly and peculiar? Yes, it has a bloated body with smooth, blackish purple skin. The frog’s pointed snout and heavy, strong hind legs help it burrow into sand.
Discovered in India, the amphibian rightfully belongs to an entirely new family of frogs. It’s named Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis. These findings are made according to DNA analyses. The species is claimed to have traveled down from Africa to India, as its closest relatives are found to live 1,800 miles away on the islands of Seychelles, near Madagascar. The researchers found genetic markers in the new species suggesting a link between frogs in India and Seychelles.
But, the reply to the question on how did the frog travel down to India from Africa is further more interesting. Not, by hopping, by a vehicle or by drifting across the ocean – but, by continental drift. They speculate that when India broke apart from Africa and crashed into Asia millions of years ago, the frog rode India like a ferry.
Via: Genome News Network