The golden toad An ecological mystery and the search for a lost species

The authors, twin brothers, reveal the story of the golden toad, an amphibian named for its unusual orange color, that is found only in the cloud forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica, and appears for only for a few weeks each year. Inspired by their parents, who had originally visited the cloud forest in 1987, the brothers later visited to conduct their own search for the elusive amphibian, last seen in 1989 and declared extinct in 2004. The book blends memoir and mystery as Trevor and Kyle investigate what caused the golden toad's demise, and discuss the negative impacts of climate change and habitat loss while highlighting conservation efforts, including by groups that purchase land for species preservation. The writing, while ornate at times, includes the authors' firsthand recollections and perspectives from other researchers and naturalists from Costa Rica and around the world. Color photographs of golden toads and a handful of other species are included. The authors' enthusiasm and appreciation for the golden toad are apparent throughout. This text will appeal to those with an interest in efforts to preserve biodiversity and restore threatened species.

Trevor and Kyle Ritland, twin brothers and documentarians, debut with an overwrought investigation into the extinction of the golden toad, a native of Costa Rica's cloud forests whose last recorded sighting was in 1989. The authors alternate between discussing the global collapse of amphibian populations in the 1990s and their efforts to determine if any golden toads remain in the wild. Despite presenting themselves as detectives seeking to solve the "ecological mystery" behind the mass frog die-offs, their research shows scientists have known the cause for decades: a parasitic fungus that fatally inhibits frogs from regulating their electrolyte levels. The authors' search for a living golden toad is similarly underwhelming. Providing reason for hope, they point out that a 2010 campaign to find supposedly extinct frogs led to the "rediscovery" of 15 species, but this only makes the brothers' decision to give up after a single night of camping on a Costa Rican ridgetop all the more baffling. Worse, they implausibly play up their brief sojourn with grandiose allusions to conquistadors' quest for El Dorado and florid prose ("The lonely forest swayed in the slow wind, reaching out wet and woody hands in consolation; we were only now encountering the grief , but the forest had been living with it"). This falls flat. Agent: Lauren Hall, Folio Literary. (June)