14 New “Dancing” Frogs Discovered, Now To Save Them From Extinction

A cache of 14 new species of "dancing frogs" -- known for their aerobatic abilities -- have been discovered by biologists in the jungle of southern India. While researchers were excited by the new frogs, which are known for the distinctive kicks they use to attract mates, there is some bad news.

Dancing frogs -- there are 24 known species -- have declined dramatically in number during the 12 years in which they've been studied. Found in the Western Ghats, the amphibians are threatened by habitat loss -- they breed after the monsoon every year in streams, but their habitat has suffered from drought the past few years.

"It's like a Hollywood movie, both joyful and sad. On the one hand, we have brought these beautiful frogs into public knowledge," the project's lead scientist, University of Delhi professor Sathyabhama Das Biju, told the Guardian. But about 80 percent are outside protected areas, and in some places, it was as if nature itself was crying."

The research, published in the Ceylon Journal of Science, has brought new attention to the issue of "unnamed extinctions" -- extinctions that occur before scientists ever know the species even exists.