2006, 29 x 51 inches
2006, 29 x 51 inches

The Costa Rican Golden Toad, only about an inch long, is now presumed extinct. It was discovered in 1964 and as recently as 1987 were abundant in a small area of about 10 square kilometers in Costa Rica’s Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. The last male was seen in 1989. Scientists still ponder and debate the cause of their rapid decline but agree that unusually warm conditions, due to El Nino weather patterns, climate change, a fungal infection brought on by the dryness, or all of the above, could have made breeding conditions impossible. One poignant anecdote recalls hearing what was presumed to be this last toad peeping, peeping—a solitary voice where years before his kindred sang by the thousands. I heard this story on the radio and decided this toad needed to go on my list of species for my “Specimens” show, as a representative of all the amphibians that are currently in decline.

Quilt Stories: Million to One

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