Southern Toad

Anaxyrus terrestris

The Southern Toad is a small, bumpy toad that loves to hop around in the warm sun. They have a special call that sounds like a musical trill, especially during rainy nights.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Southern Toad is typically brown, gray, or reddish with dark spots and often has a distinct light stripe down its back. It has warty, dry skin and two large, prominent glands behind its eyes, which distinguish it from many frogs.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAmphibiaOrderAnuraFamilyBufonidaeGenusAnaxyrus

Southern Toad

Interesting facts

A group of Southern Toads hanging out together is surprisingly called a "knot" of toads.

Males have a super loud, trilling "werrrr" call to attract mates from far away.

Southern Toads swallow food by pulling their eyeballs inward to help push it down!

Unlike us, these toads absorb all the water they need right through their skin!

Special abilities

Southern Toads have special glands behind their eyes that squirt a bad-tasting poison to warn off predators.

Southern Toads can dig themselves backward into the soil with their strong hind legs to hide from danger or stay cool.

Southern Toads can subtly change their skin color to better match their surroundings, helping them hide from sharp-eyed predators.

Southern Toads can shoot out their long, sticky tongue incredibly fast to snatch up insects and other small prey.

Measurements & details

Length: 5-11 cm
Weight: 0.02-0.07 kg
Lifespan: 5-10 years
Top Speed: 2 km/h
Clutch Size: 2000-4000
Metamorphosis: 40-70 days

Diet & Feeding

These toads are expert insect hunters, using their sticky tongues to catch all sorts of small critters.

Age differences: Tadpoles eat algae and plant bits, but adults are hunters of insects and small invertebrates.

Primary Foods

beetles
ants
crickets
slugs
earthworms
spiders

Foraging Method

Ambush

Ecological connections

eaten by

Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

Common Garter Snakes frequently prey on Southern Toads and their young.

eaten by

Raccoon

Procyon lotor

Raccoons often hunt and eat toads they find foraging at night.

hunts

Field Cricket

Gryllus assimilis

Southern Toads frequently catch and eat field crickets using their sticky tongues.

hunts

Black Slug

Arion ater

Slugs, like the black slug, are a common food source for these toads.

Traits

Solitary

Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.

Singing

Singing animals produce complex vocalizations, often for purposes of attracting mates, defending territory, or communicating within their species.

Camouflaged

Camouflaged describes organisms that possess coloring or patterns that allow them to blend into their environment.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Longevous

This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.