American Toad

Bufo americanus

The American Toad is native to North America. They are generally not found in most southern states, or, if they are, only in the most northern part of those states. They have an incredible ability to adapt to their surroundings as long as there is a source of semi-permanent water, which has allowed them to colonize many areas.

DESCRIPTION     

American Toads have short legs, stout bodies and thick spotted skins with warts. The skin color, ranging from yellow to black, changes depending on temperature, humidity and stress.  Males have dark colored throats of black or brown, and females have white throats and are a lighter color overall. The warts are not contagious. However, the paratoid glands and warts do contain defensive chemicals, which are toxic to humans and many predators.  The secretion can irritate a person’s mouth and eyes. Adult toads can grow up to 50-107 mm. They are active at night, especially when the weather is warm. During the day time, they like to hide under rocks, logs or dig into the soil to stay cool. They also hibernate during the winter months, digging deeper into the soil. American Toads do not drink water. Instead, they absorb it through their skin. While they are growing, they shed their skin about every couple of weeks. Once they reach adulthood, they shed it around four times annually. The skin comes off in one piece and is collected under the toad’s tongue, where it is then swallowed.

HABITS AND HABITATS     

American Toads can live anywhere from forests to backyards given the right conditions. They need a semi-permanent source of freshwater, dense patches of vegetation for cover and hunting and a supply of insects for food. They eat a variety of insects, including snails, beetles, slugs and earthworms. They can shoot out their sticky tongues to catch prey and can also use their front legs to grasp food and push it into their mouths. One American Toad can eat up to 1,000 insects every day. Because of their ability to eat so many insects, American Toads help control the population of many different kinds of insects. American Toads can give off long trill sounds that last between 4 and 20 seconds, which they use as a way to attract females. As they call, their throats puff out. They also use body postures, touch and chemical cues for communicating. Toads are solitary creatures, and congregate only at breeding ponds in the early summer and late spring. Breeding takes place mostly in March and April. Female toads lay their eggs in freshwater and hatching occurs 3 to 12 days after laying, depending on the temperature of the water. In the wild, the majority of toads die before they transform from tadpoles to toadlets. If they make it to adulthood, the average lifespan in the wild is a year or two, however they are capable of living much longer. Predators of the American Toad are primarily snakes. The Eastern Hognose snake specializes on eating toads. Other snakes are also immune to the toad’s poisonous glands.

MEET OUR AMERICAN TOADS       

At the Nature Center, we currently have two American Toads, one female and one male.  The female is easily identifiable due to her large size.  Like most American Toads, the female is much larger than the male.

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©2002 WNC Nature Center