Aug 8, 2024
Today’s Friend from Borneo is the Bornean Tree-hole Frog (Metaphrynella sundana)! He is singing his Beautiful Song from his hole in the middle of a tree! (Bonus Crested Toad (Ingerophrynus divergens)!)
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Today’s Friend from Borneo is the Bornean Tree-hole Frog (Metaphrynella sundana)! He is singing his Beautiful Song from his hole in the middle of a tree! (Bonus Crested Toad (Ingerophrynus divergens)!)
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ZooTampa's herpetology team spent several hours counting and packing the tadpoles into protected shipping boxes for their journey.
TAMPA, FL —Thousands of Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles were sent from ZooTampa to Puerto Rico Thursday with the goal of restoring the critically endangered amphibian on their native island.
The Puerto Rican crested toad, the island's only native toad species, once flourished on the island but was thought to be extinct until 1967.
ZooTampa is one of only a few zoos across the world who participate in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan with the goal of re-populating this species by breeding and sending tadpoles back to Puerto Rico.
The zoo's herpetology and veterinary teams oversaw the delicate reproduction process for the pairs of crested toads. From careful habitat temperature control that simulates the island's rainy season to playing toad mating calls, several necessary steps were taken to ensure the toads' success in releasing fertilized eggs.
"These tadpoles represent hope for this critically endangered species," said Dan Costell, associate curator of herps and aquatics. "Many amphibian species, such as the Puerto Rican crested toad, are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss, climate change, pollution, infectious diseases and other factors. Bolstering the population of these toads in their natural environment is a real win for conservation and at the core of our mission at ZooTampa."
ZooTampa's herpetology team spent several hours counting and packing the tadpoles into protected shipping boxes for their journey. Shipping bags were used, doubled up and filled with oxygen to keep the tadpoles healthy and safe on their journey to their homeland where biologists will release them into protected managed ponds.
The Puerto Rican crested toad is an essential part of the island ecosystem, eating insects that are pests to humans. Scientists estimate that fewer than 3,000 adult toads remain in the wild.
Read more: https://patch.com/florida/seminoleheights/special-delivery-made-tampa-puerto-rico-race-save-toad-species-extinction
Puerto Rican Crested Toads (Peltophryne lemur) are the country’s only native toad. They have are listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN due to rapid population declines by habitat alteration and invasive species such as Rhinella marina. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) set up a Species Survival Program in 1984, and have since released thousands of tadpoles back into the wild. You can read more here. Â
Find a frog Friday
Welcome to the first find a frog Friday! this is a new thing I’m trying out where every Friday I post a picture that contains a hidden frog (or another animal if I run out of content).Â
Today's Image is of a crested toad Rhinella martyi hidden amongst the leaf litter of the South American rainforest floor. This species has evolved to look like a leaf, but not to the amazing extent that other frog species have, and can come in many, many different morphs.
Image credited to Andrew Snyder
The South American common toad [Rhinella margaritifera; formerly Bufo margaritifer] is a bit of a misnomer. These ‘common’ toads are not one species, but are in fact a species complex; several species currently sharing a scientific name, due to lack of further classification. Many common toads are small and easily overlooked, whereas the specimen above sports an elaborate crest. It’s possible that in the future this toad will be going by a different name than it does now. Images by Bob Ferguson.
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A fantastic example of a young South American common toad [also known as leaf-litter toads, or crested toads, Rhinella margaritifera] photographed in El Valle, Cocle, Panama. These toads are found throughout much of Amazonian South America, especially in areas with leaf litter. Their dorsal stripe is believed to help them mimic a leaf. Image by Jan Willem Steffelaar.
The impressive croak sac on a South American common toad [also known as the crested toad; part of the Rhinella margaritifera species complex] photographed by Jean-Pierre Vacher. The stripe down it’s back serves as subtle but effective camouflage on the forest floor, as demonstrated in this video:
Sometimes the best camouflaged toad is also the flattest toad.  A juvenile Crested toad [Rhinella martyi; in the Rhinella margaritifera group] uses its dorsal stripe and sepia coloring to disguise itself as a leaf. Photographed in Iwokrama, Guyana, by Andrew Snyder.