Api dwarf toad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Api dwarf toad |
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The Pelophryne api, also called the Api dwarf toad, is a tiny toad that belongs to the toad family called Bufonidae. This special toad is only found in Borneo. It lives in places like Gunung Mulu National Park in northern Sarawak, Malaysia, which is where Mount Api is located. It has also been seen in Simpang Kuda in western Sarawak.
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What Does the Api Dwarf Toad Look Like?
These small toads are quite slender. Adult male toads are about 18 to 22 millimeters (less than an inch) long. Female toads are a bit bigger, measuring about 18 to 24 millimeters.
Body Features
- Snout: The toad has a short, pointed snout.
- Ears: It has a clear eardrum on its head.
- Fingers and Toes: Its fingers and toes are thin. They have small, flat tips. Both the fingers and toes have a bit of webbing, which helps them move around.
- Color: Most of the toad's body is black, both on its back and belly. It might have a few lighter marks too.
- Skin: The back of the toad is covered with small, round bumps.
Where Does the Api Dwarf Toad Live?
The Api dwarf toad lives in rainforests, both in lowlands and on mountains. It prefers areas with limestone rocks. You can find these toads from about 65 meters (213 feet) to 1200 meters (3,937 feet) above sea level. One group was even found in a forest that was regrowing after being cut down.
Daily Life
These toads are usually seen at night. They like to sit on low plants, about 0.2 to 0.5 meters (less than 2 feet) above the ground.
How They Reproduce
Female toads lay their eggs in small pools of water found on the forest floor. These pools can be in holes in limestone rocks, inside hollow dead leaves, in logs, or even in the pitchers of certain plants called Nepenthes. The tadpoles of the Api dwarf toad do not eat. They get all their food from the yolk they are born with.
Is the Api Dwarf Toad Safe?
Even though this toad is only found in a small area, there are many of them in Gunung Mulu National Park. This park is well protected, which helps keep the Api dwarf toad safe.
