In a darkened forest of northern Ecuador, a “long”-limbed creature perched on a bush and called out. Its “copper” eyes scanned the shadowy landscape, but it wasn’t the only one looking around. Passing scientists spotted the lurking animal — and discovered a new species. Researchers hiked into the mountainous forests around the Mira River several times in 2023 to survey wildlife, according to a study published Jan. 29 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoological Science. They were primarily looking for some “cryptic” and hard-to-identify frogs. During the nighttime hikes, researchers found several reddish-brown frogs. They took a closer look at the bumpy animals, tested their DNA and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Pristimantis praemortuus, or Praemortuus’ rainfrog.