Platinum records. Sold out world tours. Inductions into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. All of these accomplishments pale in comparison to the one true desire of any rock band: to have a species named after you. And finally, Led Zeppelin has managed to summit that mountain.

 

Pristimantis Ledzeppelin, or Led Zeppelin’s Rain Frog in English, was recently discovered by scientists David Brito-Zapata and Carolina Reyes-Puig in South America. Its most distinct feature are very red eyes, which isn’t uncommon with many Zeppelin fans (no word yet on if the frog also experiences cottonmouth or the munchies). Led Zeppelin’s Rain Frog was found in Cordillera del Cóndor a mountainous area of Ecuador. Given the setting in which the frog was discovered, the eagerness by the discoverers to pay tribute to Led Zeppelin, and method by which frogs get around, not naming it a Misty Mountain Hop Frog seems like a tremendous wasted opportunity.

 

The area was also described as “one of the most threatened eco-regions in the world” by the scientists who made the discovery, so if you’d like more Zeppelin-related frogs to live and prosper this might be the time to consider getting super into fighting climate change and/or becoming one of those weird guys that has a tank full of exotic animals somewhere in his house.

Filed under: ecuador, frog, led-zeppelin, science