August 10, 2009--
This red-footed tree frog—discovered in 2007 in the Indian
state of Assam--is among the 353 new species found in the Eastern Himalaya between 1998 and 2008, according to a new report released today by the conservation group WWF.
Dubbed the "flying frog," this unusual amphibian
uses its webbed feet as an aid while gliding through the air.
The Eastern Himalaya
--which includes the mountainous regions of Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and northeastern India (see map
)--offers some of the most biologically diverse terrain in the world, according to WWF.
Photograph courtesy Totul Bortamuli/WWF Nepal