Ansonia leptopus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ansonia leptopus |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Bufo leptopus Günther, 1872 |
The Brown Slender Toad (scientific name: Ansonia leptopus) is a type of toad. It belongs to the Bufonidae family, which includes many different toads. You can find this toad in lowland areas of Borneo, including Brunei. It also lives in Sumatra in Indonesia and possibly in Peninsular Malaysia. People often see it in the lowland parts of Malaysian Borneo. This toad has a few common names. Some call it the Matang stream toad or the cricket-voiced toad.
What It Looks Like
Male Brown Slender Toads are about 30 to 40 millimeters long. That's about the size of a small paperclip. Female toads are a bit bigger, growing up to 55 millimeters. This measurement is taken from their snout (nose) to their vent (where waste leaves the body).
These toads have small bumps, like warts, on their backs. They also have tiny brown or yellow spines. You can find these spines under their lower jaw, called the mandible. Male toads have special dark brown patches on their thumbs. These are called nuptial pads and help them hold onto females during breeding.
The baby toads, called tadpoles, are quite small. They are usually less than 20 millimeters long. They have unique black markings on a light body. Their mouths, called oral suckers, are not as strong as those of other Ansonia tadpoles.
Where It Lives and How We Protect It
The Brown Slender Toad lives in natural habitats called primary rainforests. These are old forests that have not been changed much by humans. Adult toads can be found spread out on the forest floor. They also live in the lower layers of plants, like small bushes and herbs.
At night, you might hear male toads calling out. They often sit on big rocks near river banks. These toads breed very quickly, in what is called "explosive breeding." They lay their eggs in small, clear streams with rocky bottoms. The tadpoles usually live in shallow pools on the sides of the streams. They also like to hide in beds of dead leaves under the water.
This toad faces threats because its home is being lost. Deforestation, which is when forests are cut down, destroys their habitat. Cutting down trees also causes dirt and mud to wash into the streams. This makes the water cloudy and harms the tadpoles.
