We are beyond thrilled to announce the newest (and smallest) additions to the Pelegri Lab family: two golden mantella tadpoles, hatched this week and already named Benito and Julian!

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Golden mantellas (Mantella aurantiaca) are one of the most striking — and most threatened — frogs on the planet, and watching a new generation start life in our colony never gets old. This time, we had a front-row seat: our graduate student Monica, whose research is dedicated to the conservation of these frogs, was right there to watch Benito and Julian wriggle free of their egg sac and make their first swim. By her account, it was every bit as magical as it sounds — tiny, wiggly, and a genuinely exciting moment for the whole conservation effort her work supports.