A frog species so rare that the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed it as "possibly extinct" has been rediscovered in Ecuador, National Geographic reported.
Before being found by biologist Juan Sánchez-Nivicela during a 2022 rare amphibian-searching expedition, the Pristimantis ruidus frog was last seen in 1922 by famed zoologist George Tate.
The rediscovery of the incredibly rare species is being hailed as a win for conservationists, who, having now confirmed that the Pristimantis ruidus is not extinct, can better protect its future survival.
"This discovery fills us with hope," biologist María del Carmen Vizcaíno, director of conservation group Alianza Jambato, told National Geographic.
As the P. ruidus is only known to exist in one region of the southern Andes in Ecuador, conservationists hope to use that fact to fight against further degradation of that ecosystem by the mining and illegal logging industries. Vizcaíno called the frog a potential "flag of resistance" in the ongoing legal battles over environmental conservation in the region.
Diego Armijos Ojeda, a herpetologist at Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, called the discovery "a second chance to conserve what may potentially be the only locality where you can find [the frog], not only in Ecuador but in the world."
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That means that not only is it good news on its own that the P. ruidus hasn't gone extinct, but the fact that it has managed to survive may indirectly help to ensure the survival of other threatened and endangered species as well.
Ecuador is the country with the most endangered endemic species in the world, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. These include the brown-headed spider monkey, the Pichincha giant glass frog, and many, many more.
Other recently rediscovered species that were once thought to be extinct include the large tortoiseshell butterfly in England and the Louisiade pitta in Papua New Guinea.
These rediscoveries show that it is not too late to protect many of Earth's most threatened and vulnerable species, which need conservation help now more than ever.
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