Trevor and Kyle Ritland grew up listening to their father's stories of the many magical animals of Costa Rica, including the striking Golden Toad which inhabits the cloud forests of Monteverde on the continental divide. The little toads, which only come out from underground a few weeks a year to mate, entranced the brothers. By the time the brothers make it to Costa Rica for themselves, the Golden Toad population has steadily decreased and they are now believed to be extinct. In The Golden Toad, the Ritland's dive into the natural history of the Golden Toads, the first known sightings to their last, detailing their personal journey to find the Golden Toads again and the factors that have contributed to their disappearance.
"The Golden Toad" is an ecological mystery that beautifully captures the unique emotions of hope and grief associated with species endangerment and extinction. Despite being a scientific nonfiction book, it reads like an adventure, complete with travel, danger, and intriguing characters. The book highlights how some of the first people to observe the Golden Toads were Quaker settlers in Costa Rica. Word then spread among scientists, drawing them to the cloud forests. By the time a dedicated team of scientists began researching the Golden Toads, their numbers were already shrinking. The Ritlands embark on several treks to locate the toads 30 years after their last reported sighting. The vivid descriptions of Costa Rica's cloud forests truly made me wish I could experience them firsthand. These distinctive micro-ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots, with Costa Rica's cloud forests potentially harboring up to 25% of Earth's biodiversity. The Ritlands skillfully integrate local and Indigenous knowledge in their quest to rediscover this species, which was lost to science but not always to local communities. I particularly enjoyed Eladio's insights into the search for the Golden Toad and what its rediscovery would mean for the forest, as well as his perspective on the forest without the toad. A significant portion of the book focuses on the chytrid fungus, *Batrachochytrium dedrobatidis*, which has devastated amphibian populations globally. While chytrid has been found in Costa Rica, the book explores whether it was truly the sole cause of the Golden Toads' disappearance. Although Kyle and Trevor's expeditions may not have uncovered the Golden Toads, their efforts, combined with those of other scientists and citizen scientists worldwide, have significantly contributed to amphibian conservation and the rediscovery of several other species once thought to be lost forever.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
"The Golden Toad" is an ecological mystery that beautifully captures the unique emotions of hope and grief associated with species endangerment and extinction. Despite being a scientific nonfiction book, it reads like an adventure, complete with travel, danger, and intriguing characters. The book highlights how some of the first people to observe the Golden Toads were Quaker settlers in Costa Rica. Word then spread among scientists, drawing them to the cloud forests. By the time a dedicated team of scientists began researching the Golden Toads, their numbers were already shrinking. The Ritlands embark on several treks to locate the toads 30 years after their last reported sighting. The vivid descriptions of Costa Rica's cloud forests truly made me wish I could experience them firsthand. These distinctive micro-ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots, with Costa Rica's cloud forests potentially harboring up to 25% of Earth's biodiversity. The Ritlands skillfully integrate local and Indigenous knowledge in their quest to rediscover this species, which was lost to science but not always to local communities. I particularly enjoyed Eladio's insights into the search for the Golden Toad and what its rediscovery would mean for the forest, as well as his perspective on the forest without the toad. A significant portion of the book focuses on the chytrid fungus, *Batrachochytrium dedrobatidis*, which has devastated amphibian populations globally. While chytrid has been found in Costa Rica, the book explores whether it was truly the sole cause of the Golden Toads' disappearance. Although Kyle and Trevor's expeditions may not have uncovered the Golden Toads, their efforts, combined with those of other scientists and citizen scientists worldwide, have significantly contributed to amphibian conservation and the rediscovery of several other species once thought to be lost forever.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
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