Scientists have rediscovered the Borneo Rainbow Toad, which was believed to be extinct. The tiny creature, only about five centimetres long, was last seen in 1924.
The toad was discovered somewhere near the Malaysian-Indonesian border, high in the Gunung Penrissen mountain range. The search was led by Dr. Indraneil Das, a professor at the University of Malaysia. The team had to climb high into the mountains, lugging heavy equipment on their backs, and faced leeches, hostile poachers, and torrential rainstorms before finally succeeding in their quest to find the lost creature.
Very little is known about the mysterious toad. Dr. Das and his team are beginning a two-year project to study the toad in detail. He says discoveries like these “remind us that nature still holds precious secrets that we are still uncovering.”
Before the team rediscovered the toad, whose colours may be used for camouflage on tree bark, the only image of the creature was a black and white sketch.