In the highest coastal mountains of Colombia there is a special toad nicknamed “starry night” due to the particular color of its skin which resembles that of impressionist paintings. It was thought to be counted among the extinct animals and instead it has been found and photographed.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himIn the highest coastal mountains of Colombia there is a special toad nicknamed "starry night" (starry night) due to the particular color of his skin which resembles that of impressionist paintings.
It was thought to be counted among the extinct animals and instead it has been found and photographed. We are talking about the Atelopus aryescue, the harlequin toad of the starry night, a species that had not been seen since 1991.
It is a toad that is characterized by an extraordinary color of the skin, glossy black with white spots. These little, special creatures are found in only one place in the world: the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in Colombia, one of the highest and most remote coastal mountain ranges on earth.
Although for science it was practically extinct, the local natives knew very well that in reality this species was still there in its natural habitat.
Recently some exponents of the Arhuaco indigenous community of Sogrome teamed up with local researchers to document the toad's existence, and the images were made available by the Global Wildlife Conservation.
Toads are very important animals in the life of the Colombian natives, so much so that they are considered sacred. In fact, they are believed to be "The guardians of the water" and their appearance would indicate good water quality and the health of the green and mossy ecosystem at high altitudes.
That the species still exists is phenomenal news, considering that the mountain this original toad inhabits is home to the highest number of threatened amphibians in the world. In particular, a pathogen, the notorious one, decimates amphibians Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Also known as amphibian chytrid fungus, which is exterminating these animals in South America and around the planet. The virulent fungus hinders the animals' ability to breathe, causing heart attacks and decimating populations very quickly.
Of the 96 known species of harlequin toads, 37 are potentially extinct. Yet starry night toads appear to have a stable population, at least for now.
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