Bad Bunny's Music Spotlights Puerto Rican Crested Toad's Plight Amidst Environmental Threats

The Puerto Rican crested toad, endemic to the Caribbean island, has gained fame recently due to its feature in Bad Bunny's new album, "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS." Specialists reveal that this amphibian, often shy and hiding from view, primarily emerges during rainfall to reproduce, and is currently facing threats from climate change, gentrification, and invasive species. According to Rafael Joglar, a professor at the University of Puerto Rico, the toad's population is estimated to be between 500 and 3,000 individuals in the wild. The species, known in Spanish as sapo concho, symbolizes resistance to environmental changes caused by tourism and urban sprawl. Biologists Sondra Vega and Joglar emphasize the critical state of the toad, which competes with invasive cane toads for breeding sites and faces habitat loss from rising sea levels and changing weather patterns. Bad Bunny's attention to the creature has sparked a public discussion on conservation efforts, with hopes for increased awareness around protecting natural heritage in Puerto Rico.

A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean Sea southwest of the Cayman Islands on February 8, 2025, prompting tsunami warnings in several regions. The tremor, recorded by the US Geological Survey at a depth of 10 kilometers, occurred at 6:23 PM local time, with its epicenter located approximately 209 kilometers south-southwest of George Town, Cayman Islands. In response to the earthquake, the US National Tsunami Warning Center issued an advisory for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, while the Dominican Republic alerted residents to evacuate coastal areas, advising them to seek higher ground at least 20 meters above sea level. Cuban authorities have also urged people to move away from beachfront locations. Puerto Rico's Governor Jenniffer González Colón is coordinating with emergency agencies despite not recommending a mass evacuation along the coast. As of now, there have been no immediate reports of damage from neighboring Honduras, although residents have been advised to avoid beaches as a precaution. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicated the possibility of tsunami waves reaching up to 3 meters in some locations.