• Health
  • Science
  • U.S.
  • Technology
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Sports

Building a Better World

News and information

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Our Team

Scientists shocked by incredible discovery in Nevada

July 23, 2017 By Dan Taylor

Scientists shocked by incredible discovery in Nevada

Scientists have made a rare discovery of three new species of toad in Nevada, a remarkable find detailed in a new research paper.

Scientists have just made a rather incredible discovery in several areas in Nevada. They’ve found three new toad species that are already facing extinction, and conservationists are preparing an emergency petition to protect at least one, the Dixie Valley toad.

It’s an astonishing find because the last time we found a new toad species in the United States was 50 years ago. The Dixie Valley toad was first observed in the early 2000s, but it wasn’t identified as a new toad species until 2014. Dixie Valley toads are just 2 inches long and have bumpy skin that is colored black, green, and brown. They live in a marsh that is just 2 square miles in Dixie Valley.

The other two new toads are the Railroad Valley toad and the Hot Creek toad, which are not connected geographically. They were discovered in a 10-year-long survey of the Great Basin using “shape” metrics and DNA studies.

“We’ve found the toads in small, wet habitats surrounded by high-desert completely cut off from other populations,” Dick Tracy, a renowned biology professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, and lead scientist on the project, said. “These are absolutely new, true species that have been separated from other populations for 650,000 years.”

“The Dixie Valley toad is a pretty toad, with flecks of gold on an olive background,” Tracy, a long-time professor in the biology department of the College of Science, said. “It’s not like the big, common green toads you might find in other marshes around the west or even in Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno.”

Sharing

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Front Page, Science

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us

Facebookrss

Search:

Recent Posts

  • NASA’s InSight spacecraft makes important course correction May 26, 2018
  • Scientists outraged at latest Trump decision May 15, 2018
  • Huge uproar erupts over major incident at Utah park May 13, 2018
  • Incredible moon discovery stuns scientists May 12, 2018
  • Authorities shocked by discovery about common painkiller May 6, 2018
  • Outrageous crocodile experiment stuns scientists May 5, 2018
  • Great Barrier Reef is too quiet, scientists say May 1, 2018
  • Massive Hiroshima bomb discovery shocks scientists May 1, 2018
  • Earth will be slammed by massive asteroid April 29, 2018
  • Teens are doing something incredibly alarming in schools April 29, 2018
  • Huge discovery in Tasmania stuns scientists April 28, 2018
  • Shocking discovery in New Jersey stuns authorities April 22, 2018
  • Huge volcanic explosion could wipe out the United States April 21, 2018
  • Huge controversy erupts over world’s hottest pepper April 15, 2018
  • SpaceX is about to do something astonishing April 15, 2018

Copyright © 2021 Jones Kilmartin Group, LLC · Metro Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress