Litoria mira, the real life version of chocolate frog found

In the rainforests of New Guinea, a species of frog lives that looks like it has been made of chocolate. First spotted by an Australian scientist, Steve Richards, in 2016, noted that this frog could be a new species and is being considered as an addition to the knowns of the animal kingdom.

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Some specimens have been taken for genetic tests and research on the cocoa-coloured frogs. The frogs are now called Litoria mira and the name has been inspired by the Latin adjective mirum.

Mirum means surprised or strange and the name fits perfectly for the new species of frog that have surprised scientists.

The frog species are considered a member of the predominantly Australian Litoria genus of tree frogs.

The Litoria mira has a well-known relative — the common green tree frog of Australia called Litoria cerulean. Except for the colour of their skins, the two seem alike — until you study them closely.

Litoria mira can be distinguished from all other Litoria by its unique combination of moderately large size, webbing on hand, relatively short and robust limbs, and small violet patch of skin on the edge of its eyes.