Animal Programs: Conservancy and Recovery of the Puerto Rican Crested Toad

By Jasmine Alvarado, Species Management Officer

Your membership not only supports the care of our animals, but also animals who will go on to be released to help wild populations. On May 13, 2021, we shipped nearly 2,000 Puerto Rican crested toads to the Puerto Rico Department of Environment and Natural Resources (PRDENR), the government organization who manages the land on which the toads are released.

As the name suggests, the crested toad has a notable ridge, or crest, above each eye. These toads can grow up to 4.5 inches in length and vary in color, from yellowish green to dark brown, and have pebbled skin. Males are smaller than the females and have less prominent crests. Juvenile toads are easy to distinguish from adults since their coloration is much lighter and they have an hourglass-shaped marking on their backs.

Known by the locals as the sapo concho Puertorriqueño, this is the only toad native to the island of Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican crested toad was first discovered in 1868. When sightings stopped sometime during the 1930s, it was assumed that they were extinct. It was not until the 1960s when they were rediscovered in the municipality of Isabela, located in the northwestern region of Puerto Rico. In 1984, another population of the species was found in Guánica Commonwealth Forest, located south of the island. That same year, the Puerto Rican crested toad became the first amphibian to receive Species Survival Plan (SSP) status through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). In 1987, the Puerto Rican crested toad was federally recognized as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The crested toad’s habitat varies as does the landscape in Puerto Rico. They can be found in rainforests, grasslands, and even arid land. These habitats form temporary bodies of water during the breeding season where the eggs and tadpoles can grow. By the time the raining season is over, the tadpoles have become toadlets and can survive outside of water. Another feature these habitats have in common are limestone rock formations called karst. Since crested toads are nocturnal, during the day they hide and sleep within holes and fissures throughout the karst to protect themselves from the heat. Depending on the time of year, the average maximum temperatures can go between 82 to 90 degrees.

From the time the Puerto Rican crested toad recovery plan started, the captive toad population has increased from 300 toads to approximately 1,500 toads throughout all the participating institutions in the United States and Canada.

Over the years, PRDENR, AZA, USFWS, and a variety of institutions and community groups have put their resources together to protect this species. In doing so, these groups also provide outreach education to the public, carry out research studies, and safeguard the remaining undisturbed habitat of the Puerto Rican crested toad. With two more shipments planned later this year, approximately 600,000 tadpoles will have been released in seven different locations in Puerto Rico since the SSP program began in 1984.