Sydney Hoffman

Shape-Shifting Frogs

Specimen: Pristimantis Mutabilis

Description: The pristimantis mutabilis or mutable rainfrog was discovered in 2009 by Katherine and Tim Krynak in the Andes of Ecuador.  They along with their colleagues published their findings in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.   This frog has phenotypic plasticity and can change the texture of its skin depending on the environment it is in in approximately five minutes.  This phenotypic plasticity helps them blend into their surroundings, which protects them from predators.  Because its skin changes based on its environment, it is only possible to observe its spiky skin in when it is in the wild.  The only other frog that is known to exhibit a similar ability is the related pristimantis sobetes.  This means that the ability to change the texture of their skin likely was a trait that came from a common ancestor and only survived in these two species.

pristimantis mutabilis

 pristimantis sobetes

Map of where the frogs are found:

Works Cited:

Guayasamin, Juan M., et al. "Phenotypic Plasticity Raises Questions for Taxonomically Important Traits: A Remarkable New Andean Rainfrog ( Pristimantis) with the Ability to Change Skin Texture." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. 173, no. 4, Apr. 2015, pp. 913-928. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/zoj.12222.

Hurst, Luke. "Shape-Shifting Frog Discovered". Newsweek. N.p., 2015. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.

Staff, News. "Pristimantis Mutabilis: Scientists Discover Shape-Shifting Frog In Ecuador | Biology | Sci-News.Com". Sci-News.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 6 Mar. 2017.