In Search of Extinct Toads
Between April and July 1987 over 1500 adult Golden Toads were counted within a small area in the Monteverde Cloudforest region of Northern Costa Rica. The following year barely 10 Golden Toads were counted and on the 15 May 1989 the last Golden Toad ever to be seen was recorded. No one is really sure what has happened to this, now, emblematic animal. One theory is that a particularly harsh El Niño year in 1987 dried up the ponds where the eggs were spawned resulting in very few tadpoles and affecting the adult toads. Another theory is that the toads have gone underground until a time when the climate may return to a more agreeable state for them. Numerous species of toads and frogs have also fallen to a fungal infection, chyrtridiomycosis, which has been spreading further and further, in particular creeping south in Central America. The only certainty is that no member of the Golden Toad has been seen in over 21 years and the species was officially declared extinct by the IUCN in 2004.
But hope is not lost. A team from the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group has just embarked on a massive amphibian search in 14 countries. Every species they are looking for has not been seen in years and many are thought to be extinct, including the Golden Toad of Monteverde. Amphibians are an important indicator of the health of the environment and any discovery of these disappeared species would be a great indication of hope.
For more information visit the Conservation International Website.
Back to News