A blue frog was spotted in Australia: what a rare mutant looks like. Photo

While exploring the territory of the Charnley River-Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary, a team of Australian researchers found a rare blue tree frog. Usually, representatives of this amphibian species have a green body with a yellow belly.

Scientists believe that the unusual color of the animal is due to rare genetic mutations, IFLScience reports. The researchers believe that the reason for the modification is axanthism.

A team of scientists stumbled upon the rare blue tree frog, whose green-skinned representatives live only in northwestern Australia, during an evening outing: "It was after dark when we first spotted it sitting on a bench in a workshop near our research center. It was very exciting. The gorgeous tree frogs are impressive on their own, but to see a blue one is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Typical representatives of this type of amphibian grow up to 12 centimeters in length on average and are green in color, which helps them remain invisible among the foliage. According to the scientists, the animal got this skin tone as a result of a combination of blue and yellow pigments that are formed as a result of vital activity. They assume that the frog's unique blue color is the result of axanthism, a mutation that interferes with the synthesis of golden colors.

"It is very rare for a green frog to lack yellow pigment in its skin, and this causes the frog to turn completely or partially blue. Over the years, I've seen tens of thousands of frogs that were nowhere near as impressive as this one blue one," explained Dr. Jodi Rowley, Curator of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Biology at the Australian Museum.

The scientists noted that the loss of yellow pigment makes the mutant frog more visible to predators. However, it has a protective gland with a bitter liquid on its head.

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