Central Coast stubfoot toad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Central Coast stubfoot toad |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification |
The Central Coast stubfoot toad, also known as Atelopus franciscus, is a small and unique toad species. It belongs to the Bufonidae family, which includes many types of toads. This special toad lives only in one specific area: the central coastal region of French Guiana in South America. This means it is endemic to that place, found nowhere else in the world.
These toads are active during the day, which is called being diurnal. You can often find them near small, fast-flowing streams and creeks in the lowland rainforest. Sadly, their home is shrinking because of habitat loss, which threatens their survival.
How Stubfoot Toads Communicate and Live
Male Atelopus franciscus toads have a special way to attract females and protect their space. Unlike many other Atelopus toads that use visual displays, these males use calls. This is quite interesting because their rainforest home is often very noisy! They have to compete with calls from other frog species like Allobates femoralis and Otophryne pyburni.
These toads do not have an external vocal sac, which is a pouch that many frogs inflate to make loud calls. Because of this, their calls are quiet and can only be heard from a short distance, usually less than 8 meters (about 26 feet). They also do not have external eardrums (called tympana), which might make them seem "deaf." However, they have a well-developed inner ear and can still hear and respond to other toads' calls in the wild.
Male toads set up their territories very close to each other, often only 2 to 4 meters (6 to 13 feet) apart. Even with their quiet calls and lack of external eardrums, their acoustic communication works well enough for these short distances.
When it's time to lay eggs, the female toads lay them in the water. The baby toads, called tadpoles, then stick to rocks in the water.
