Pictures:"Mr. Burns" Toad, More New Amphibians Found

Nosing around for"lost"amphibianspecies in western Colombia in September, scientists stumbled across three entirely new species—including this beaked toad."Its long, pointy, snoutlike nose reminds me of the nefarious villainMr. BurnsfromThe Simpsonstelevision series,"expedition leader Robin Moore said in a statement released Tuesday.

The unnamed, 0.7-inch-long (2-centimeter-long) toad is"easily one of the strangest amphibians I have ever seen,"added Moore, an amphibian-conservation specialist forConservation International.

The toad also has an odd reproductive habit: skipping the tadpole stage. Females lay eggs on therain forestfloor that hatch into fully formed toadlets.

In addition to the never before seen amphibians pictured here, the unprecedented global effort to rediscover amphibians presumed extinct—led by Conservation International and the International Union for Conservation of Nature'sAmphibian Specialist Group—hasyielded three species rediscoveries, including aMexicansalamander not seen since 1941, a frog fromCôte d'Ivoirenot seen since 1967, and a frog fromDemocratic Republic of the Congonot seen since 1979. (Seepictures:"Ten Most Wanted 'Extinct' Amphibians.")

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