Common Name: Mount Nimba Viviparous Toad
Scientific Name: Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis
Family: Bufonidae – True Toad family
Locations: Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Liberia
Size:1.1 inches (28.7 mm)
The Mount Nimba Viviparous Toad spends mosts of their time during the dry season (November to March) underground and dormant. The frogs come to the surface once the rains begin. For mating, the males call anytime during the wet season but prefer September. As the name suggests, they are one of the only viviparous species of toads in the world. Viviparaous means that the female toad gives birth to live toadlets instead of laying eggs like most frogs and toads. The female gives birth to between 4-35 toadlets.
There are two subspecies of the Mount Nimba Viviparous Toad – Western Nimba Toad (Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis occidentalis) and the Liberia Nimba Toad (Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis liberiensis). There are some key differences between the two. For example, the Western Nimba Toad is significantly smaller than the Liberia Nimba Toad. Also, the Liberia Nimba Toad is found in Liberia while the Western Nimba Toad is found in Guinea and the Cote d’Ivoire.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the Mount Nimba Viviparous Toad as critically endangered due to mining operations in their range. Sadly, the spot where the toad was first found has become an open mining pit.
