No 1- The Kihansi Spray Toad

Numero Uno. Number one - the Kihansi Spray Toad. Ode to the toad who could comfortably sit in a tablespoon!

This rare and beautiful toad is ‘Extinct in the Wild’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, which means that you can only see it at Toledo and New York Bronx Zoo. This tiny toad represents the harsh reality- animals are becoming extinct before our eyes.

So how did this happen? In 2000 a dam was constructed on the Kihansi River (Tanzania) which cut off 90 percent of the original water flow to the gorge. The volume of spray was so reduced that the composition of vegetation in this Toad’s habitat was no longer livable. On top of that it faced (and was finally defeated by) the deadly Amphibian Chytridiomycosis fungal disease.

But there is a small slither of hope on the horizon. The breeding progamme in Toledo and New York Bronx Zoos may well eventually release a new population of toads back to their former home in Tanzania.

Want to find out more? Check out the Red List: Kihansi Spray Toad