Tadpoles? Try Toadlets: Tanzanian Tree Toads Twist Tradition

Scientists have discovered three new types of unusual tree toad. They come from Tanzania. It's a country in Africa. The toads were once thought to be a single species. They share one of the rarest traits a toad can boast. Instead of laying eggs, they give birth to live young. They skip the tadpole stage entirely.

“Live-bearing is exceptionally rare among frogs and toads, practiced by less than 1% of frog species," H. Christoph Liedtke told Phys.org. Liedtke is an amphibian expert. He works at the Spanish National Research Council. He co-authored the findings. They were published this month in the journal Vertebrate Zoology.

Liedtke's team didn't find the tiny toads in the deepest jungles of East Africa. Rather, they used “museomics.” It is a scientific approach. It involves deeply examining evidence that is already in museums. Researchers looked at hundreds of specimens. They were toads identified as Nectophrynoides viviparus. “Viviparus” means “giving birth to live young”. Some of the specimens were more than 120 years old. Scientists looked at their physical traits, DNA evidence, and recordings of the toads’ songs. They discovered that the specimens actually belonged to three different species of toadlet-birthing toads.

The toad species all live in a tiny, remote area of the Tanzanian jungle. Learning more about them, experts say, can help preserve these rare species and their habitats.

"These discoveries highlight ... the diversity of live-bearing toads and the urgent importance of protecting East Africa's forests," study co-author Simon P. Loader told Phys.org. "If we lose these forests, we will lose one of the most unusual forms of amphibian reproduction known."

Reflect: How does learning about new discoveries in nature influence the way you think about the world around you?

Photo of newly-identified Tanzanian tree toad species courtesy Thrane C, Lyakurwa JV, Liedtke HC, Menegon M, Petzold A, Loader SP, Scherz MD (2025) in “Museomics and integrative taxonomy reveal three new species of glandular viviparous tree toads (Nectophrynoides) in Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains (Anura: Bufonidae)”. Vertebrate Zoology 75: 459-485.