Woodhouse's Toad

Anaxyrus woodhousii

Woodhouse's Toad is a friendly little creature that loves to hop around in wet places. They have smooth skin and can change color to blend in with their surroundings!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Woodhouse's Toad has warty, bumpy skin, usually gray, brown, or olive, often with a light stripe down its back. Its parotoid glands behind the eyes are oval-shaped and typically separated from the cranial crests, making its head look somewhat flatter than other toads.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAmphibiaOrderAnuraFamilyBufonidaeGenusAnaxyrus

Woodhouse's Toad

Interesting facts

Female toads can lay thousands of eggs in long, jelly-like strings.

Their scientific name honors Samuel W. Woodhouse, an American naturalist.

They drink by absorbing water through their skin, not by sipping!

When threatened, they can inflate their bodies to look bigger and scarier.

Special abilities

Woodhouse's Toad has special glands behind its eyes that release toxins, which helps protect them from predators.

Woodhouse's Toad can use tough bumps on its hind feet to dig burrows, helping them hide from danger and extreme weather.

Woodhouse's Toad has a long, sticky tongue that helps them quickly snatch up unsuspecting insects for a meal.

Woodhouse's Toad has bumpy, camouflaged skin that helps them blend perfectly with their surroundings to avoid being seen by predators.

Measurements & details

Length: 5-13 cm
Weight: 0.03-0.15 kg
Lifespan: 5-12 years
Top Speed: 2 km/h
Clutch Size: 2500-25000
Metamorphosis: 30-70 days

Diet & Feeding

A tiny bug vacuum, gobbling up insects, spiders, and other small critters it can find!

Age differences: Tadpoles are herbivorous, feeding on algae and detritus; adults are carnivorous.

Primary Foods

Beetles
Ants
Crickets
Spiders
Slugs
Worms

Foraging Method

Ambush

Ecological connections

eaten by

Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

A known predator, especially of younger toads.

eaten by

Raccoon

Procyon lotor

An opportunistic predator of adult toads.

hunts

European Black Ant

Formica fusca

A common insect prey item for adult toads.

hunts

Field Cricket

Gryllus assimilis

A frequent part of the toad's diet.

Traits

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Solitary

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

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.