A Lost Amphibian

Common name- The golden toad

Scientific name- Incilius periglenes

Kingdom-Animalia

Phylum-Chordata

Class-Amphibia

Diet-Small insects

Weight- one ounce(approx)

Height- 5 to 5.5cm approx)

Lifespan- 10-12 yrs

Habitat-Area north of the city of Monteverde, Costa Rica(cloud forest of North America).

The golden toad is an extinct species of true toad also known as Monte Verde toad, Alajuela toad and orange toad.This toad was first described in 1964 by Jay Savage,a herpetologist.

Males were orange and sometimes slightly mottled on the belly, while females showed a greater variety of colors, including black, yellow, red, green, and white; both sexes had smooth skin. While males had brilliant orange that attracted females to mate, females were covered with a dark, charcoal-colored outlined with yellow lines. Sexual dimorphism played a key role in identifying females, who were typically larger than males. 

Ten or eleven toads were seen in 1988,including one seen by Martha Crump, and none have been seen since May 15, 1989.

The IUCN has given numerous possible reasons for the species' extinction, including its "restricted range, global warming, chytridiomycosis and airborne pollution".The last sighting of a single male golden toad was on 15 May 1989 in Costa Rica rainforest, and it has since been classified as extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)in 2004.