Australian scientists find new species of frog in Cape York Peninsula

Australian scientists on Friday said they have discovered a new species of frog in Cape York Peninsula in far north Queensland.

The researchers also located a colony of rare rock wallabies in the region that until now had never been photographed.

The expedition, which has took scientists two years time to complete, aimed to survey 200,000 hectares of extensive intact ecosystems in Cape York Peninsula not yet studied by scientists.

Pew Environment Group spokesman Barry Traill, who is part of the team, said it is the first time researchers have documented the wide range of species in the region, with 263 native species recorded.

Forty-six of the species are mammals, 140 species are birds, 25 types are amphibians and 52 are reptiles.

Some of the species are considered threatened, while the researchers also identified a new species of frog.

According to Simon Kennedy, the lead biologist on the survey, discovering the new species was "incredibly exciting".

"It's something of a scientist's dream to be able to go into an area and come face to face with a species that's not in your field guide, that's not even in your books, that's not even in the scientific literature - amazing, almost indescribable," he told ABC News on Friday.

As well as the frog, scientists came face to face with a population of the little-known Cape York rock wallaby, a threatened species of global significance.

"I believe it is the last kangaroo species in Australia never to have been photographed. All we had was until now, even in 2011, was paintings of the species," Kennedy said.

The region is a protected area under the national reserve system, and the only way the survey was recorded is thanks to the partnership between researchers and the local Indigenous group, the Northern Kaanju people.

Traditional owner and chairman of the Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation David Claudie said the Indigenous people in the area helped the scientist make new discoveries, and the working relationship has helped scientists to deliver results of global significance.

Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in eastern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth.

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