Royal Watch News

Prince Charles 'touched' by frog tribute

Jul 6, 2012, 12:01 GMT

Prince Charles

Britain's Prince Charles is 'touched' to have had a species of frog named after him.

The prince vowed to battle even harder in his conservation work after the rare species of Ecuadorian stream frog was named Hyloscirtus princecharlesi in honour of his campaigning to save the world's rainforests.

He said: 'I'm very touched. It's very nice. I have a lump in my throat, it must be a frog.

'I shall battle even harder now.'

Charles was presented with a commemorative gold medal along with a glass brown and orange frog replica by Dr. Luis A Coloma, the Ecuadorian scientist who discovered the amphibian.

He added about the glass frog: 'That's wonderful, I will treasure that.'

The scientist - who discovered the amphibian four years ago among preserved museum specimens and later took part in an expedition to a national park in Ecuador and found three live adults and some tadpoles - believes Charles was very happy about the honour.

Dr. Coloma - who met Charles at an environmental-themed workshop the prince was hosting for schoolchildren at his Highgrove home - said: 'I think he was very happy with the name and especially to see such a beautiful frog have his name.

'The frogs live inside the forests and he has been using frogs as symbols for his campaign, so he's like a leader in this fight.'