Species of toad last seen in 1924 discovered in Borneo

SCIENTISTS scouring the mountains of Borneo spotted a species of toad last seen by European explorers in 1924, providing the world with the first photographs of the colourful, spindly legged creature.

In recent years, the Washington-based Conservation International placed the Sambas Stream Toad, also known as the Bornean Rainbow Toad, on a list of the world’s “Top 10 Most Wanted Lost Frogs” and voiced fears that it might be extinct.

Researchers found three of the slender-limbed toads living on trees during a night search last month in a remote mountainous region of Malaysia’s eastern Sarawak state in Borneo, said Indraneil Das, a conservation professor at the Sarawak Malaysia University who led the expedition. Only illustrations of the toads previously existed.

“It is good to know that nature can surprise us when we are close to giving up hope, especially amidst our planet’s escalating extinction crisis,” said Robin Moore, a specialist on amphibians at Conservation International.

The toads found on three separate trees measured up to 2 inches (5.1 centimetres).