Photos of Tanzania's colorful toads "The African Viviparous Toad"

These are the photos of newly found toads of the Nectophrynoides genus in one of 15 amphibian species in Tanzania. They call them "African viviparous toads" since they are relatively new to the world of science research and study. African viviparous prefer the moist rainy remote valley environments of the highlands and mountains of Tanzania. They are very small in size and some only grow as large as a small coin (penny). As you can see in the picture, their skin color varies  from dark brown to bright orange, yellow or green depending on the type of species.

Those who have studied them so far says: 

During the day the toads seem to prefer to sit on leaves and at night they hide on the ground under fallen trees and coarse wood debris. Little is known about their breeding behavior. African viviparous toads are one of the very few species of frogs that gives birth to live young, and they are the only "toads" in the world that do not lay eggs.

Seven species of African viviparious toad listed as endangered. Namely:

1. Nectophrynoides asperginis or the Kihansi Spray Toad, found in the Udzungwa Mountains
2.  Nectophrynoides cryptus or the Secret Tree Toad, found in the Uluguru Mountains. 
3. Nectophrynoides minutus or the Minute Tree Toad, found in the Uluguru Mountains.
4. Nectophrynoides poyntoni, found in the Udzungwa Mountains.
5. Nectophrynoides tornieriTornier's Tree Toad (also known as the Usambara Viviparous Toad), found in the forests of East Usambaras through to the Udzungwas.
6. Nectophrynoides viviparous or the Morogoro Tree Toad, found in the mountains of central to southwestern Tanzania.
7.  Nectophrynoides wendyae or the Uzungwe Scarp Tree Toad, found in the Udzungwa Mountains. 

Scientist warn that, "the biggest threat to these species is habitat loss due to agricultural encroachment, wood extraction, and the expansion of human settlements". However, they suggest that "some species can be found and protected in forest and nature reserves in Tanzania".

I am proud to be Tanzanian, a country that is full of amazing creatures and natural resources. We are yet to find and agree on common ways of sharing these abundant riches.

This post was prepared with the help of the following references:
Earth'sEndangered
BBC
Frontier