Costa Rica's recently discovered "coffee frogs" sing in plantations, but pesticides threaten them

August 8, 2026 / 3:48 PM EDT

/ CBS/AFP

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A tiny greenish, nocturnal frog that thrives in coffee plantations was discovered in Costa Rica's central Pacific region, where it also faces risks from agrochemicals used in farming.Measuring less than 4 centimeters and known as the "spring frog," AFP reporters observed the dark green-spotted amphibians in San Lorenzo de Tarrazu."It's a new species of tree frog for science and endemic to Costa Rica," researcher Wagner Chaves-Acuna told AFP, per the findings of colleagues from the University of Costa Rica and Argentina's National Council for Scientific and Technical Research.

View of a "Rana de las nacientes" (Isthmohyla nacientes), a newly discovered frog species, in San Jose, Costa Rica, on Aug. 6, 2026.