Ansonia spinulifer
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie, from original photograph by Gary M. Stolz, USFWS (original photograph in public domain). · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
Ansonia spinulifer, also known as spiny slender toad or Kina Balu stream toad, is a species of true toad in the family Bufonidae. It is found in Sarawak and Sabah, northern Borneo (Malaysia), and presumably also in Kalimantan on the Indonesian part of the island.
Ansonia spinulifer males measure 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in) and females up to 45 mm (1.8 in) in snout–vent length. Tympanum is visible. Dorsum has big spinose warts and usually a light spot between the shoulders. The warts are large and have keratinized projections, hence the species name. Tadpoles have the typical sucker mouth of rheophilous Ansonia tadpoles.
Its natural habitats are lowland rainforests at elevations of 150–750 m (490–2,460 ft) asl. Adults range widely over the floor and herb stratum in areas of steep terrain, but breeding requires small, clear, rocky-bottomed streams. Males call at night, sitting in low vegetation close to streams. The tadpoles live in torrents; they cling to rocks and feed on lithophytes.
Ansonia spinulifer is common in Sarawak, but it seems not to adapt to habitat modification. It is threatened by habitat loss (deforestation and the associated...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kubah National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Spiny Slender Toad sighting in Kubah National Park on a given day, based on 45 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 41 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January, April and June
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Spiny Slender Toad in Kubah National Park on a given day, against about 40% in July, October and December, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spiny Slender Toad sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Spiny Slender Toad sightings, Kubah National Park has the highest daily chance: about 50%. Next come Kinabalu Park (Malaysia, about 30%).
Same genus: Ansonia
The closest relatives of the Spiny Slender Toad that you can see in Kubah National Park (genus Ansonia, Stream Toads) are Brown Slender Toad (about 40%) and Dwarf Slender Toad (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spiny Slender Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Kubah National Park (45 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.
