North Borneo stream toad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids North Borneo stream toad |
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The North Borneo stream toad (also called the North Borneo slender toad) is a special kind of toad. Its scientific name is Ansonia fuliginea. This toad belongs to the Bufonidae family, which includes many types of toads. You can only find this toad in one place: Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, which is part of Malaysian Borneo. When an animal or plant is found only in one specific place, it's called endemic.
What Does the North Borneo Stream Toad Look Like?
These toads are quite small. Male toads are about 32 to 36 millimeters long. Female toads are a bit bigger, measuring around 38 to 44 millimeters. This measurement is taken from their snout (nose) to their vent (the opening at the end of their body).
The toad's body is a bit stocky, meaning it's solid and compact. Its snout, or nose, is round. You can clearly see its tympanum, which is like an eardrum on the side of its head. The sides of its body are darker than its back and head. Its belly is also mostly dark.
The toad has many rounded bumps, called warts, on its upper body. Its belly feels bumpy, or granular. The tips of its fingers and toes are swollen. However, they do not have special sticky pads, called disks, that some other frogs and toads have.
Scientists still do not know what the tadpoles of this species look like. This means they have not yet been discovered or studied.
Where Does the North Borneo Stream Toad Live?
The North Borneo stream toad lives in very special places. Its natural habitats are moist mountain forests. It also lives in sub-alpine forests. These are forests found at high altitudes, just below the tree line.
These toads live at elevations from 1,600 to 3,480 meters above sea level. This makes them the highest-living amphibians in all of Borneo! Adult toads live on land. However, their tadpoles likely grow and develop in streams.
This toad is rarely seen by people. It lives inside the Kinabalu Park, which is a well-protected area. Scientists are not sure if this toad lives outside of the park. One possible danger to these toads is selective logging. This is when only certain trees are cut down in a forest.
