Did You Know This Costa Rican Frog Got It’s Name From A MN Mom?

The month of April will mark the 10th anniversary of a Minnesota-born researcher discovering a frog, that looks a lot like the muppet Kermit the Frog. One of the men behind the discovery, Brian Kubicki, named it, and because of that, the small green 'glass frog' shares part of its name with Brian's mom.

It was 10 years ago this month that a Forest Lake High School graduate discovered the glass frog, which was first new glass frog species found in Costa Rica in 40 years, so it was pretty big news.

At the time, I didn't realize that this tiny frog had a Minnesota connection, let alone two. As mentioned, Brian grew up just north of the Twin Cities, and he loved being outdoors. It made sense that he wound up in the field of science, and it sounds like he had some great support, as that was the reason he named his discovery after his mother.

Here's a little more background on the frog find:

"In April 2015, the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center announced the discovery of a new species of glass frog in Costa Rica, Hyalinobatrachium dianae (also known as Diane's bare-hearted glass frog). The frog's skin is lime green, with transparent abdominal skin that makes the frog's internal viscera visible from the outside. The frog was discovered by researcher Brian Kubicki, who named it after his mother, Janet Diana Kubicki, as thanks for supporting his interest in science."

It's wild to me that somewhere on a mountainside in Costa Rica, there is a frog species that owes its name to a Minnesota mother who encouraged her son to follow his passion for science.

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In case you were wondering, Brian is still living in Costa Rica and is running the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center, which he started in 2002.