The Puerto Rican crested toad (Peltophryne lemur) is the only native toad species in Puerto Rico. In English, it is known as the Puerto Rican crested toad, and it gets its name from the bony crests it has above its large golden eyes.
It is also identified by its upturned snout and rough skin, which appears to be covered in pebbles. The males are olive green with thumb pads, and the females have rougher, dull brown skin, and more prominent crests.
Behavior and habitat of the crested toad
The concho is semifossorial, which means it sometimes excavates or creates a burrow underground. Among its ideal hiding places are crab burrows, spider dens, and nest cavities created by small Caribbean birds called todies.
It is also a skilled climber for its size, capable of climbing nearly 45 cm up openings in limestone karsts. When it needs to hide from predators, the toad can squeeze into rocky crevices less than five centimeters high and five centimeters wide.
Conservation and recent popularity
In 2025, during the launch of his album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” the Puerto Rican singer and reggaeton star Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) released a video co-starring Concho, a digital crested toad, which praised the cultural roots of the island.
In less than two weeks, the video had over 14 million views, bringing the crested toad and its delicate conservation status to the attention of many.
Diet and reproduction of the crested toad
The Puerto Rican crested toad is a carnivorous amphibian that feeds on various arachnids and insects, such as ants, beetles, crickets, and spiders. The tadpoles are not very picky either and feed on algae, dead scorpions, and even dead tadpoles. Tadpoles that survive to adulthood find their ideal habitat in the subtropical dry forests of Puerto Rico.
Wild Puerto Rican crested toads are only found in the Guanica Commonwealth Forest or its surroundings in the south of the island. Although the toad lives at elevations ranging from sea level to 50 meters, it prefers to spend most of its time buried and alone.
The Puerto Rican crested toad is solitary by nature, but once a year, several toads gather to breed. The breeding season varies annually and depends on the weather: rains create shallow temporary pools, called leks, which are the ideal environment for laying their eggs.
A female crested toad can lay up to 15,000 eggs, which hatch into tadpoles in a day. However, approximately 99% of crested toad eggs never reach adulthood.
Threats and conservation efforts
It was believed that Puerto Rican crested toads were extinct from 1931 to 1967 when a population was discovered in northern Puerto Rico. Today, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the species as critically endangered. The scientific community estimates that only 1,000 to 3,000 adult toads remain in the wild.
Among the threats to their survival is competition for habitat with invasive cane toads, which also prey on crested toad tadpoles and toadlets. The long list of predators includes cats, crabs, dogs, herons, lizards, mongooses, and rats. Humans also play a significant role in the toad’s survival.
Agriculture and urban development have led to the drainage and destruction of lek breeding pools. Other threats come from natural disasters such as hurricanes and droughts, which damage vital habitats and disrupt mating gatherings.
Conservation initiatives include captive breeding programs. In 1984, the crested toad became the first amphibian included in the Species Survival Plan (SSP) of the American Zoo Association. Zoos and government entities continue to collaborate on breeding and reintroduction efforts.
SSP partners have successfully bred over 300,000 tadpoles, many of which are monitored in artificial ponds in Puerto Rico. In 2019, the first crested toad was born through in vitro fertilization.
Do you already know our YouTube channel? Subscribe!
