These images aren’t of pop culture statues being erected to spruce up city street corners in Ecuador, they’re giant effigies known as “años viejos”, many of which feature fan fav characters, that are burned to celebrate the coming of the new year.

Ricardo Bohorquez has taken some amazing pics of the effigies being built, many with people in the frame to show their massive scale, and I only wish there was a part 2 to this article showing them all going up in flames!

Link –via ComicsAlliance

No, it’s not really made of glass, but you can see the heart beating inside this frog, one of 30 new species of creatures found in the highlands of Ecuador. See more of the discoveries in a photo gallery at National Geographic. Link -via Metafilter

(image credit: Paul S. Hamilton, RAEI)

An expedition on the Nangaritza River of Ecuador, near the border with Peru, has uncovered nearly a dozen species new to science, including four amphibians, a lovely lizard, insects, and plants.

This one above is a species of glass frog, Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum, named after its translucent skin.

These discoveries are hoped to encourage the government to protect the area, which is close to a "peace park" created in the late 90s after decades of conflict. More photos and videos are available from Conservation International.

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by ecoconservant.