Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: A Frog for Al Gore

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CARACAS, Mar 1 2010 (IPS) - A frog that measures less than two centimeters long, discovered in the western Venezuelan state of Táchira, was named Allobates algorei in honor of the former U.S. vice-president Al Gore (1993-2001), co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace prize. A frog that measures less than two centimeters long, discovered in the western Venezuelan state of Táchira, was named Allobates algorei in honor of the former U.S. vice- president Al Gore (1993-2001), co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace prize.

“It's a tribute to a notable figure in the fight for environmental preservation, with his contribution to reflection and action against climate change,” herpetologist César Barrio, director of the environmental foundation Andígena, which made the frog discovery.

The name was included in the December of the specialized Brazilian journal Phyllomedusa, but was announced only last week.

With his colleague Juan Carlos Santos, of the University of Texas, Barrio also found in the Perijá mountains, bordering Colombia, two additional species of frogs. There are 336 amphibian species recorded in Venezuela.