Golden Toad
(Sapo Dorado)

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE SAPO DORADO

True to its name, the male golden toad was a flaming golden orange. The larger (about two inches from nose to rear) female, ranging in color from dark olive to black, was dappled with bright red splotches edged in yellow. An endemic species that is supposedly both deaf and dumb. It may already be extinct. Although in 1986 it could be seen in large quantities in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Costa Rica. By 1988 very few remained. There has been no confirmed sightings of the golden toad since then.

Little is known about the feeding habits of these secretive frogs, which hid underground except during the short breeding season. Because of their small size, golden toads probably fed on small invertebrates. Golden toads gathered at shallow pools that formed during the spring rainy season. Males outnumbered females by as much as eight to one, so males mated with almost anything that moved, including other pairs locked together in the mating embrace. Four to ten males sometimes clung to each other, forming what’s called a toad ball. Females laid a string of 200 to 400 eggs; it took five weeks for the tadpoles to develop into tiny toads.

Much of the information on our site as it relates to Costa Rica is:

Courtesy of Christopher P. Baker and Avalon Travel Publishing.
© 2004 Christopher P. Baker. All Rights Reserved.

A2Z Languages highly recommends Christopher P. Baker's book: Moon Handbooks Costa Rica. Click on the image to visit his website where you can purchase this book or find out more about the author.

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