Leaf Litter Toad

Leaf Litter Toad

Rhaebo haematiticus

Silhouette: Michael Scroggie, from original photograph by Gary M. Stolz, USFWS (original photograph in public domain). · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Carara National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

22 Verified sightings at Carara National Park From 2019 to 2026
729 In all 11 parks
June Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Leaf Litter Toad

Rhaebo haematiticus (formerly Bufo haematiticus) is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in eastern Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, northwestern Venezuela (Serranía del Perijá), and northwestern Ecuador. Its altitudinal range is from sea level to 1,300 m (4,300 ft) asl. Its natural habitats are primary tropical moist forest and submontane humid forest. It is a nocturnal, leaf-litter species that during the breeding seasons is found along small streams and large rivers. It tolerates some habitat degradation but only occurs close to forest. Threats to it are habitat loss caused by agriculture, wood extraction, and cattle ranching, and locally oil pollution and dams. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:16

Panama · 2021

© Emily Hjalmarson · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording1:14

Panama · 2019

© Oliver Komar · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:27

Panama · 2026

© Chris Harrison · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~60%
2 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
3 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
4 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
5 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
6 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
7 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
8 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
10 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
11 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 La Paz Waterfall Gardens 🇨🇷 Costa Rica In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Leaf Litter Toad in Carara National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Leaf Litter Toad sighting in Carara National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 22 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Leaf Litter Toad in Carara National Park?

June

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Leaf Litter Toad in Carara National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, March, May, July and September–October, the lowest months. That is one of Carara National Park's wettest months, with about 580 mm of rain against 35 mm in February.

What time of day is best to see a Leaf Litter Toad?

Between 6 and 9 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Leaf Litter Toad sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Which relatives of the Leaf Litter Toad live in Carara National Park?

Same family: Bufonidae

The closest relatives of the Leaf Litter Toad that you can see in Carara National Park (family Bufonidae, True Toads) are Giant Marine Toad (about 40%), Rainforest Toad (about 20%) and Yellow Toad (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Leaf Litter Toad sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Leaf Litter Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Carara National Park (22 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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