Frog not been seen for 50 years and thought to be extinct is discovered in Israel - and dubbed a 'living fossil'

The Hula painted frog was thought to be extinct until it was found in 2011

It was discovered by a park ranger in northern Israel's Hula Valley

It is considered a 'living fossil' because it has remained un-evolved for millions of years



A rare frog which was thought to be extinct has been spotted in northern Israel.



The Hula painted frog hadn't been seen since 1955, so when it was suggested that the time had come to officially declare it as extinct, few people objected.



However, a newly published paper in the journal Nature Communications has just revealed that in 2011 the frog was spotted in its native habitat of northern Israel's Hula Valley.



The Hula painted frog was thought to be extinct because it had not been seen since 1955. It has a pocked back and a black belly that is covered with white spots

The Hula painted frog is considered to be one of a rare class of 'living fossils', so-called because they have remained physically un-evolved over millions of years, and have few or no living relatives.



It has a pocked back and a black belly that is covered with white spots.



It was spotted by Yoram Malka, an Israeli park ranger, who glimpsed it from his passing vehicle and caught it before sending a picture of it to Professor Sarig Gafny, a river ecologist at Israel's Ruppin Academic Centre.

Speaking to National Geographic , Professor Gafny explained that he was shocked at what the image on his phone showed.



He said: 'Everything fell out of my hands. I forgot about my fever, jumped into my car and drove two hours north to see it.'



The Hula Valley wetlands had been drained in the 1950s, just a decade after the discovery of the Hula Painted frog.



The frog was spotted in its native habitat of northern Israel's Hula Valley (pictured). It has been dubbed a 'living fossil' because it has remained un-evolved for millions of years

The wetlands’ destruction destroyed the frog's natural habitat and so it was assumed the frog was gone for good.



Tests show that the frog is related to a group of amphibians that died out over 10,000 years ago.



It was originally classified as a member of the Discoglossus amphibian group, but the discovery of the 'living fossil' has allowed scientists to carry out genetic tests and CT scans and accurately categorise it as part of the Latonia group.



Professor Gafny said: 'Nobody ever had a chance to see a Latonia because it went extinct in Europe.



‘The only way anyone could see it was through looking at fossils.

