American toad
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| American Toad | ||||||||||||||
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| Bufo americanus Holbrook, 1836 |
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 Habitat range of B. americanus
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Bufo americanus |
The American toad (Bufo americanus) is a common species of toad found throughout the eastern United States and Canada.
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[edit] Tadpoles
The young of the American Toad are laid in two strings and can hatch in 3-12 days. When hatched they are recognizable by their skinny tails in relation to the size of their bodies. The tadpoles may advance to adulthood in 30-40 days. When completed the toadlets may stay in the water for a short period of time before they become mostly land based.
[edit] Eastern American toad
The Eastern American toad (B. a. americanus) is a medium sized toad usually found in the range from 2 to over 3 1/2 inches. The color and pattern is somewhat variable. They hibernate during the winter. The Eastern American toad has spots that contain only one to two warts. It also has enlarged warts on the tibia or lower leg below the knee. While the belly is usually spotted, it is generally more so on the forward half (in some rare individuals there may be few or no spots). Other species which may be confused with the Eastern American toad are Fowler's toad, which has three or more warts in the largest dark spots, and in the far west of its range Woodhouse's toad.
This species can be difficult to identify. It never has a spotted belly and both cranial crests touch the parotoid glands. In the Eastern American toad these crests almost never touch the parotoid glands, which secrete bufotoxin, a poisonous substance. The poison the toad excretes is mild, but can irritate human skin.[1]
American toads require a semi-permanent freshwater pond or pool for their early development. They also require dense patches of vegetation, for cover and hunting grounds. Given these two things and a supply of insects for food, American toads can live almost everywhere, ranging from forests to backyards. They are common in gardens and agricultural fields. During daylight hours they seek cover beneath porches, under boardwalks, flat stones, boards, logs, wood piles, or other cover. They are easy to find and make good pets. When cold weather comes, these toads dig backwards into their summer homes or may choose another site in which to hibernate. [2]
The Eastern American toad may be confused with the Canadian toad in the area where they overlap, but the cranial crests in the American toad do not join to form a raised "boss" (bump) like they do in the Canadian toad. Its range also overlaps with the Southern toad's, but in this species the cranial crests form two unique knobs. Their diet includes crickets, mealworms, worms, ants, and other small insects.
[edit] Dwarf American toad
The Dwarf American toad (B. a. charlesmithi), is a smaller version of the American toad which reaches lengths of about 2 1/2 inches and is generally a dark reddish color. The spots on the back are reduced or absent, and when present they contain at most one wart. The ventral surface or belly is usually cream colored with a few dark spots in the breast area. This subspecies can be distinguished from the above mentioned species in the same manner as for the Eastern American toad. The southwestern portion of the Dwarf American toad's range overlaps with that of the Gulf Coast Toad. The latter species is distinguished by the presence of a dark lateral stripe in as well as a deep "valley" between its prominent cranial crests. It eats mainly spiders, worms and small insects.
[edit] Hudson Bay toad
The Hudson Bay toad (B. a. copei) is a rare Canadian subspecies of A. americanus.
[edit] Gallery
 A toad, approximately one week into adult cycle, shown in comparison to an adult female hand |
 Eastern American toad, seen from behind shows characteristic markings and "warts" |
 A closeup of the Eastern American toad. |
 young american toad, probably B. a. charlesmithi |
 Front of B. a. charlesmithi |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Pauly, G. B., D. M. Hillis, and D. C. Cannatella. (2004) The history of a Nearctic colonization: Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the Nearctic toads (Bufo). Evolution 58: 2517–2535.
- Hammerson (2004). Bufo americanus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is of least concern
[edit] External links
