Kenyan Flat Backed Toad

This past year I had the amazing opportunity to work in western Kenya as a medical consultant for a clinic in a little village outside of Kakamega. I lived with the Tekesi family in a mud house--this is my little sister, Levini. It was the end of the wet season when I was there, and as a result, thousands of termites were buzzing around, looking for new places to colonize. The Luhya tribe eat termites--and it wasn't uncommon to see someone run through a swarm and snatch up a handful and eat them alive. From personal experience, they don't really have a taste, but are a little crunchy. In addition to people, many other animals gather to eat the insects, including herp species like the Flat-Backed toad (Amietophrynus maculatus). Since Kliniki ya Shikokho (Shikokho Clinic) was only a ten minute walk from home, I would often leave later in the day as the sun was beginning to go down. As dusk approached, Flat-Backed toads would gather along the sides of the warm, red dirt roads to catch a termite meal or at least eat the termites' dropped wings. Morphologically and historically related to Bufo americanus, these small (~3-4 in.) toads have similar shrill calls to their Bufonidae relatives. These slow-moving toads were particularly easy to catch, mid-hop--and the above picture is a little "terrarium" I made so the girls could observe (i.e. point and scream at) the Flat-Backed toad. Mama was always so frightened of our little pets--I can still hear her yelling at me in Kiswahili, "Sipendi chura! Sasa anapenda--kwaherini!!" Laughing, I always released the animals where I found them. These little toads helped me bond with the Tekesis--and for that, I am thankful for these guys. (Posted by Morgan Smith)