An expert at hiding, the Malaysian horned toad lives among the damp leaves on the rainforest floors of Southeast Asia. Enemy predators will walk or slither right past the well-camouflaged toad. At the same time, the toad's potential prey doesn't see this creature either-until it's crunch time.
Monster Mouth: More like a snake than a frog, the horned toad has a huge mouth for its size that lets it gulp down prey as large as mice. After a few killing crunches, the toad swallows its victim whole.
Hidden Eyes: Because camouflage is so important to the horned toad, even its eyes blend with its habitat. The skin surrounding its eyes is very dark, keeping them well hidden from lurking predators.
Master of Disguise[]
Glands keep the toad's eyes moist and clear membranes protect them from dust.
When you're a small creature living in the rainforest, it helps to look like a leaf. That's because leaves cover the forest floor, and the horned toad takes full advantage. Folds of skin on its back look like the veins of a leaf. Also its slim, flattened body is light on top and dark on bottom, mimicking a leaf in the shadows. Plus, this creature has three pointed flaps of skin, above the eyes and on the nose, which make it look like just another piece of debris scattered on the forest floor.
Sneak Up: A large, expandable voice sac enables male horned toads to make a loud, mechanical-sounding call to attract females.
Puffed Up: When it is discovered by an enemy, the horned toad puffs its body up with air, raises its hindquarters and opens its wide mouth to make itself look bigger.
Ms. Toad Strike[]
- Nearly invisible on the forest floor, a hungry female horned toad waits patiently for prey to come along. Anything smaller than herself will do.
- A male horned toad hopping by sends the female hunter into action. She leaps forward and grabs the smaller male toad's leg in her jaws.
- The male's struggles are in vain as the larger toad's grip is firm. The male toad is trapped, and helpless as it is swallowed whole.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- Mal, the heroine of the Weird n' Wild Detectives, is a Malaysian Horned Toad.
- The Malayan horned toad is featured in Holy Horns! on Monster Mania 55.
- The toad is simply referred to as “Horned Toad” on Trading Card Checklist 1.