EVERYONE has heard of the wide-mouthed frog, but the long-nosed tree frog is no joke.
Dubbed Pinocchio because of the unusual spike on its nose, the new species was discovered by Australian scientist Paul Oliver during an expedition to the Foja Mountains in West Papua in Indonesia in 2008.
Mr Oliver and his team have now revealed their incredible findings, which include a dozen new species of insects as well as never-before-seen mammals, reptiles and birds.
The frog's nose is adaptable and points upward when he is calling but then deflates if he is less active.
Far from being buried deep within the greenery, the frog literally appeared right in front of Mr Oliver's eyes when he noticed it sitting on a bag of rice at his campsite.
Among the more freakish findings was a bent-toed gecko with intriguing yellow eyes and a gargoyle-like face, also found by Mr Oliver, who is a herpetologist at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide.
He is also currently a PhD candidate at the University of Adelaide.
One of the more remarkable discoveries was the golden-mantled tree kangaroo, which has thrived in the forest environment.
The scientists had to overcome torrential rain and flooding while on their species search.
Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au
