12:19pm UK,Thursday March 04, 2010
Ian Woods, Australia correspondent
A species of frog thought to have been extinct for 30 years has been discovered in rural Australian farmland.
Luke Pearce, a fisheries conservation officer, stumbled across the frog in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales.
He suspected it might be a rare Yellow-Spotted Bell Frog and returned later with experts to try to identify it.
David Hunter, a Threatened Species Officer, described how his legs were "trembling with excitement as he approached the frog, and said he was "beside himself" when he checked the markings on its thigh which confirmed its identity.
The discovery was made last year, but secrecy has been maintained to protect the species.
Experts plan to establish a colony in Sydney's Taronga Zoo, with the hope of reintroducing them into the wild at a later date once their numbers have grown.
The species was thought to have been wiped out by a deadly fungus.
But Dr Hunter says there are signs that the newly-discovered frogs have developed immunity against infections which should help them survive.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Australia-Extinct-Frog-Discovered-Down-Under-After-Disappearing-For-30-Years/Article/201003115567096?f=rss
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