Flower pot toad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Flower pot toad |
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The flower pot toad, also known as the smooth-fingered narrow-mouthed frog, is a small, round toad. Its scientific name is Kaloula baleata. You can find this toad in places like India, Borneo, and the Philippines. It likes to live in lowland rainforests and can even live in areas where humans have changed the land a bit. Scientists say it's a species of "Least Concern", meaning it's not currently in danger.
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About the Flower Pot Toad
The flower pot toad is a chubby animal with a round body. Female toads are usually about 6.5 centimeters (about 2.5 inches) long from snout to vent. Males are a little smaller. Their back legs are short. The tips of their fingers are shaped like spoons, and their toes have webbing between them.
This toad is dark brown. It has many small bumps called tubercles that are tipped with white, making it look rough and speckled. Some toads from Java have a brick-red spot near their groin, while others have a yellow spot in the same area.
Where Flower Pot Toads Live
This toad lives in many parts of Asia. You can find it in Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines. It lives in both untouched and slightly changed rainforests, usually up to about 800 meters (2,600 feet) high. It can also be found in areas that flood.
Scientists have found some different types of this toad in Palawan and Sulawesi. These might even be new species!
- Kaloula sp. nov. Palawan: Found in Palawan.
- Kaloula sp. nov. Sulawesi: Found in the Togian Islands (Batudaka Island), Central Sulawesi, and North Sulawesi (Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park).
A special kind of this toad, called K. baleata goshi, has been seen on Little Andaman and South Andaman Islands.
Flower Pot Toad Behaviour
This toad is a fossorial species, which means it likes to dig and live underground. It often hides among fallen leaves on the forest floor. However, it can also climb trees, sometimes as high as 6 meters (20 feet) above the ground!
These toads are "explosive breeders." This means many of them breed all at once as soon as the rainy season begins. Their tadpoles do not eat. They grow into tiny frogs in about two weeks. On the Andaman Islands, these toads are known to breed in holes they find in trees.
Status and Conservation
The flower pot toad lives across a very large area. Its population seems to be quite stable. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) says it is a species of "Least Concern." This means they don't think it's in danger of disappearing anytime soon.
It is common in some places where it lives. There aren't many big threats to this toad, except for some damage to its forest home.
