False Toad

Genus Telmatobufo

Amphibian

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing false toads. Originally, when they were first described, these amphibians were classified in a true toad genus. That was over 100 years ago, and it took a century before they were rediscovered by science and reclassified. Today, the three or four species of false toads– yeah, the verdict is still out on how many there actually are– are believed to come from an ancient frog lineage. In fact, it's currently suggested that the closest living relatives to false toads are anurans from Australia. For context, false toads are endemic to Chile, so the idea that they're closest living relatives are from another continent, and don't include any of the hundreds of species from the continent on which they live is pretty dang fascinating.

False toads are exceptionally rare. They're known only from fragmented sites across the western slopes of the Andes mountains. They live in beech forests from sea level to 1,700 meters, 5,580 feet, in elevation and prefer fast flowing, cold mountain streams. In fact, their tadpoles are well suited for this exact habitat. False toad tadpoles have flattened bodies which water glides right over. Their tail is thick and muscular, helping them maintain balance in the water column. They also have giant mouths that take up more than half their body length. These act like suction cups to the hard surfaces in the current to keep them in place while the water flows and collect algae growing there.

While their tadpoles eat algae, false toad adults generally take terrestrial animals including cockroaches, beetles, flies, spiders, snails, and other invertebrates. They've also been documented with plant material in their stomach although it's not fully understood if this is intentionally ingested or simply a byproduct of their foraging of smaller animals. Of course, this is largely the case overall for false toads since there's so little information about them as well as opportunities to collect that information. Sadly, all the described false toad species are considered endangered.

False toads face challenges of fragmented populations where they may not regularly come in contact or have breeding bottlenecks. They also struggle with reforestation in which the beech forests they call gone are being replaced with pines. This causes silt in their streams, and the muddy water makes it difficult for algae to grow thus causing issues for their offspring. What's more, introduced rainbow trout prey on the tadpoles, reducing their numbers and the overall population. It's unknown how imperiled these frogs are, but it's possible we may see their extinction within our lifetime if nothing changes.

Part of the reason these amphibians were originally named toads instead of frogs is because they're rather toad-shaped in appearance. They have stout, sturdy bodies with warty protuberances across their skin, although these are not present on the false toad’s belly. Depending on the species, they display bands or orange, red, or yellow across their legs and face. Their toes are webbed to assist their travel through water although they spend a large part of their time under logs and boulders or buried in the forest soil. While they are most common around streams during peak breeding times, which aren't fully understood, they also spend time away from the water on the forest floor.

What little is known of false toad mating is they seem to prefer the warmer months for choosing a mate. There's no information about their calls, but it is known that males develop spurs on their legs during this time which are believed to help them cling to females in the swift currents in which they reside. When collected, females were found with just over 100 eggs inside them, but her preferences for laying these are still a mystery. There's still so much to learn about these nocturnal amphibians; hopefully we won't lose them before we're able to learn more!

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