CANBERRA, May 20 (Xinhua) -- 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.
