Why is the golden toad extinct?
It has also been hypothesized that an invasive species, not native to the area, could have caused the extinction. Theorists claim that tourists brought this invasive species to Costa Rica. The years prior to the extinction of the golden toad, tourism grew exponentially in Costa Rica fueled by the new relative stability of the Costa Rican government and improved relations with the United States. Programs such as Peace Corps brought thousands of Americans to Costa Rica in this time period. Specifically, species from cold regions such as Chicago could thrive in warm climates. The introduction of a new species could have had detrimental effects on the small, golden toad populations. B. periglenes would have lacked much variation in genes due to restrictive nature of breeding within the same population. The mutation necessary to survive the new invasive species could have been lacking in B. periglenes. Pictures from one such Peace Corps volunteer, Peter Jude LoPresti, verify over 8 golden t
