The Mount Po Ma Lung toothed toad (Oreolalax adelphos<\/em>) was found during an expedition to locate a different species, making the discovery even more remarkable.<\/p> ZSL EDGE Fellow Luan Thanh Nguyen, along with an international team of conservationists, stumbled upon the vibrant new toad while descending from the peak of Mount Po Ma Lung after a strenuous 12-hour hike. <\/p> The toad, with its striking black, cream and grey-spotted body, a unique fold of skin behind its eyes, and an unusual two-toned iris, immediately stood out to the researchers. Upon further study, they confirmed it was a species unknown to science.<\/p> \u201cThis was a completely unexpected and thrilling discovery,\u201d says Dr. Ben Tapley, co-author of the study and London Zoo\u2019s Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians. \u201cIt shows just how critical it is to protect the rich, yet fragile ecosystems of the Ho\u00e0ng Li\u00ean Range, home to some of the world\u2019s most remarkable amphibians.\u201d<\/p> The discovery also sheds light on the mounting threats facing these mountain habitats. The toad\u2019s forest home is being steadily degraded by fuelwood collection for tourism and the spread of cardamom plantations. Conservationists warn that this tiny high-altitude refuge could make the species vulnerable, potentially earning it a spot on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered.<\/p> Named\u00a0adelphos<\/em>, meaning “brother” in Greek, the toad shares its habitat with the Sterling\u2019s toothed toad, making it the second species of its kind found on Mount Po Ma Lung. <\/p> The findings, published in\u00a0Zootaxa<\/a><\/em>, add to a series of new amphibian discoveries in Vietnam, a region teeming with yet-to-be-explored biodiversity. Despite these exciting finds, conservation efforts for amphibians remain sparse.<\/p> Vietnam\u2019s mountain ranges are home to over 80 distinct amphibian<\/a> species, many of which are critically threatened. Conservationists are calling for sustainable ecotourism and protection of these habitats to safeguard species like the Mount Po Ma Lung toothed toad before it\u2019s too late.<\/p> \u201cThis discovery brings us closer to understanding the incredible amphibian diversity in Vietnam\u2019s high mountains,\u201d say lead researcher Luan Thanh Nguyen. “But it\u2019s also a stark reminder of how fragile these ecosystems are.”<\/p> Find out more about the study: A new\u00a0Oreolalax\u00a0(Anura: Megophryidae) from the Hoang Lien Range, northwest Vietnam<\/a><\/em><\/p> More wild stories from around the world<\/strong><\/p> The newly discovered Mount Po Ma Lung toothed toad has two-toned irises and an unusual fold of skin behind its eyes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":42174,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/strange-new-toad-with-hypnotic-eyes-found-on-gruelling-expedition-through-vietnams-hoang-lien-mountains.jpg",2500,1667,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/strange-new-toad-with-hypnotic-eyes-found-on-gruelling-expedition-through-vietnams-hoang-lien-mountains-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/strange-new-toad-with-hypnotic-eyes-found-on-gruelling-expedition-through-vietnams-hoang-lien-mountains-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/strange-new-toad-with-hypnotic-eyes-found-on-gruelling-expedition-through-vietnams-hoang-lien-mountains-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/strange-new-toad-with-hypnotic-eyes-found-on-gruelling-expedition-through-vietnams-hoang-lien-mountains-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/strange-new-toad-with-hypnotic-eyes-found-on-gruelling-expedition-through-vietnams-hoang-lien-mountains-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/strange-new-toad-with-hypnotic-eyes-found-on-gruelling-expedition-through-vietnams-hoang-lien-mountains-2048x1366.jpg",2048,1366,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The newly discovered Mount Po Ma Lung toothed toad has two-toned irises and an unusual fold of skin behind its eyes.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/42173"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Oreolalax](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/10\/Oreolalax-adelphos-Mount-Po-Ma-Lung-toothed-toad-1.jpeg\")
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