Until recently, the world’s rarest frog was thought to be Isthmohyla rivularis, which was rediscovered in 2008 in the rainforests of Costa Rica. Now, however, that tiny tree frog’s place in the record books has been taken by a new amphibian, one with a black satin skin tough enough to take anything the jungle can dish out: MB&F’s Frog Zr, a numbered limited edition of just 18 pieces. Zr is the chemical symbol for zirconium, a transition metal resembling titanium. Titanium on steroids! To give an idea of just how tough zirconium is, the blades and vanes in modern jet engines and gas turbines can only support the incredibly high temperatures and stresses they generate thanks to a protective ceramic layer of zirconium and yttrium oxide. Ninety per cent of all zirconium produced is used in nuclear reactors, and zirconium alloys are used in space vehicles for their resistance to the extreme heat of atmospheric re-entry.
