American Toad
Anaxyrus americanus
Image by Jim Horton
Description
Terrestrial toad.
Tan, brown, olive, rust, or brick colored.
Usually one or two warts in each dark spot. Dark spots are usually brown are black but some specimens have none. Belly/chest is spotted with dark pigment.
Parotoid gland, large and kidney shaped.
Note: May hybridize with Fowler’s toad, making identification difficult.
Stats
Size
2 – 3 ½ inches
Status
Common, statewide
Similar Species
Fowler's toad
Diet
Earthworms, arachnids, arthropods (beetles, moths, etc.)
Habitat
Versatile, sparse woodland, urban and rural areas, grasslands
Reproduction
Breeds from early March to May. Will breed in many water sources including marshes, temporary ponds, and ditches. Males call with a low melodious trill which lasts from 6 to 20 seconds. Eggs are laid in strings or strands with as many as 10, 000 eggs.
