The Elusive Churamiti

This week, we are heading to Africa looking for a single toad species.

We’ll be lucky to find any signs of it—it has not been seen in the wild in fifteen years!1 Given that it was only discovered in 2002, it has disappeared very quickly.2

There is, essentially, no information about this kind available. However, this gives me an opportunity to explain how we identified created kinds in our Ark kinds project. Because we wanted to identify a worst-case scenario, we often split things that probably should be lumped together. For example, there is almost nothing known about this species of frog. As such, it may actually fit into another kind that is more well-known. More data is needed to tell us for sure.

This week’s kind is the Churamiti—the Tanzanian toad kind.

Clue

Here is your clue for next week:

This week’s sea bird kind features in a well-known poem, the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”

Ask a Question

Have you ever had a question about created kinds but didn’t know who to ask? Have you ever wanted to learn more about your favorite kind? Well, now you can! You can ask me, Inspector Barry Mins, a question! Have your parents help you fill out this form, and you might get your question answered in my column! If you have any questions about created kinds, feel free to send them my way!

Footnotes

1. S. Loader, H. C. Liedtke, J. V. Lyakurwa, L. P. Lawson, M. Menegon, M. Garrido-Priego, J. Mariaux, W. Ngalason, A. Channing, N. R. Owen, et al. “Thirty years of amphibian surveys in the Ukagurus Mountains of Tanzania reveal new species, yet others are in decline.” African Journal of Herpetology, (2022).
2. A. Channing and W. T. Stanley. “A new tree toad from the Ukaguru mountains, Tanzania.” African Journal of Herpetology 51, no. 2 (2002): 121–128.