“Toad-al” Extinction

Peninsula Mountain Toad by Oliver Angus, Public Domain, via iNaturalist

Capensibufo

by Inspector Barry Mins on April 9, 2024

Hey kids, welcome back to our series on the mysteries of created kinds.

Last week, we met a colorful group of crowned birds you might see in your backyard. This week, we leave the US and move to South Africa, looking for a group of tiny toads.

Two by Tuesday

Very little information exists on this kind. There are five species, all found in South Africa. Most species are found on mountain slopes in isolated populations.1 Different members of the genus live on different mountains and rarely interact with each other.2 Breeding occurs in short-term pools with males competing to fertilize the eggs of females.3 Females only go to the pools to lay eggs, then they leave. The parents do not care for the eggs, and they hatch in about two weeks.

Has anyone figured it out yet? This week’s kind is the Capensibufo—the Cape Toad kind. This kind is rather scarce in South Africa and is declining. Hopefully, the biologists in South Africa will be able to stabilize their populations. Next week, we head to Australia looking for a group of geckos with some unique features for geckos.

  • Moonlight Mountain Toadlet

    Moonlight Mountain Toadlet (Capensibufo selenophos)
    Observation by Oliver Angus, CC0 1.0, via iNaturalist

  • Landdroskop Mountain Toadlet

    Landdroskop Mountain Toadlet (Capensibufo magistratus)
    Observation by Seth Musker, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist

  • Peninsula Mountain Toad

    Peninsula Mountain Toad (Capensibufo rosei)
    Observation by Caroline Voget, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist

Clue

Your clue for the week is:

Unlike most geckos, these geckos lack toe pads, instead using claws to hold on to things.

Ask a Question

Have you ever had a question about created kinds but didn’t know who to ask? Have you ever wanted to learn more about your favorite kind? Well, now you can! You can ask me, Inspector Barry Mins, a question! Have your parents help you fill out this form, and you might get your question answered in my column! If you have any questions about created kinds, feel free to send them my way!

Footnotes

  1. E. R. Cressey, G. J. Measey, and K. A. Tolley, “Fading Out of View: The Enigmatic Decline of Rose’s Mountain Toad Capensibufo rosei,” Oryx 49, no. 3 (2015): 521–528, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/fading-out-of-view-the-enigmatic-decline-of-roses-mountain-toad-capensibufo-rosei/31E5257B064E82CE7B4D32F1D92805C4.
  2. Krystal A. Tolley, Atherton L. De Villiers, Michael I. Cherry, and G. John Measey, “Isolation and High Genetic Diversity in Dwarf Mountain Toads (Capensibufo) from South Africa,” The Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 100, no. 4 (2010): 822–834, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2010.01469.x.
  3. S. Edwards, K. A. Tolley, and G. J. Measey, “Habitat Characteristics Influence the Breeding of Rose’s Dwarf Mountain Toadlet Capensibufo rosei (Anura: Bufonidae),” Herpetological Journal 27, no. 3 (2017): 287–298, https://scholar.sun.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/8ef6af00-0744-4c7d-bdce-4ff5881bf66e/content.