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Animal profile

Golden Toad

Incilius periglenes

AmphibiaElfin cloud forest at around 1,500 metres elevationExtinct

Field profile

The golden toad was a small toad of Costa Rica's Monteverde cloud forest, the males a vivid uniform orange and the females dark with red and yellow markings. Its entire known range covered only a few square kilometres. It was last seen in 1989, having disappeared within two years of being abundant.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-12-09

Golden Toad

The golden toad went from abundant to gone in two years

In 1987 observers counted around fifteen hundred golden toads at Monteverde breeding pools. The following year eleven appeared. In 1989 a single male was seen, and no golden toad has been recorded since anywhere in the world.

Read with evidence →

Golden Toad | Daily Animal Facts