A miner in Chiapas discovered a tiny tree frog that has been preserved in amber for 25 million years, a researcher said.If authenticated, the preserved frog would be the first of its kind found in Mexico, according to David Grimaldi, a biologist and curator at the American Museum of Natural History who was not involved in the find.
The chunk of amber containing the almost one-centimeter (0.4-inch) frog was uncovered by a miner in the southern state of Chiapas in 2005 and was bought by a private collector, who lent it to scientists for study.
Only a few other preserved frogs have been found in chunks of amber - a stone formed by ancient tree sap - mostly in the Dominican Republic. Like those, the frog found in Chiapas appears to be of the genus Craugastor, whose descendants still inhabit the region, said Gerardo Carbot of the Chiapas Natural History and Ecology Institute, in announcing the find this week.
Carbot figures the frog lived 25 million years ago, based on the geological strata where the amber was found. He would like to extract a sample from the frog´s remains in hopes of finding DNA that could identify the particular species, but doubts the stone´s owner would allow a small hole to be drilled into the chunk of amber.
"I don´t think he will allow it, because it´s a very rare, unique piece," said Carbot.
Grimaldi called the idea of extracting DNA "highly, highly unlikely," given that - as other scientists have noted - it tends to break down over time.
