Page 111 - A Field Guide to Fairfax County's Plants and Wildlife
P. 111
tern American Toad
(Anaxyrus americanus)
Description
Toads are warty and chubby frogs
(yes, toads are frogs!); colors vary
from tan to dull orange with darker
warts on the back. Length ranges from 5 to 10 centimeters. They are active
mainly at night. Adults begin gathering in vernal pools in March or April. After
breeding, the female lays huge numbers of eggs (up to 20,000!) that hatch
in about a week. Tadpoles eat continuously and may grow quite large. They
mature into adults in about a month. Adult toads are often seen moving
around in the fall as they look for places to hibernate.
Distribution and Habitat Toad warts are actually poison
This is the toad most likely to glands the animal uses to ward off
be found in Fairfax County. It is predators. Most snakes are immune
replaced in the southeastern to the poison. You cannot “catch”
Piedmont and Coastal Plain warts by handling a toad.
provinces by its close relative, the
Southern Toad (A. terrestris). Adult
toads spend more time on land
than other frogs, but must stay near water to keep their skin moist. They hide
under logs, rocks, porches and other dark places during the day and come
out at night. In winter, toads hibernate in underground burrows.
Role in Food Web
Tadpoles are omnivorous and eat just
about anything including algae, detritus,
dead animals and each other. Adults
are carnivorous and consume whatever
they can catch and fit into their mouths.
Common prey items include adult and
larval insects, isopods, spiders, harvestmen
and millipedes. Their main predators are
snakes; the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake
(Page 118) preys almost entirely on toads.
r 107 r
(Anaxyrus americanus)
Description
Toads are warty and chubby frogs
(yes, toads are frogs!); colors vary
from tan to dull orange with darker
warts on the back. Length ranges from 5 to 10 centimeters. They are active
mainly at night. Adults begin gathering in vernal pools in March or April. After
breeding, the female lays huge numbers of eggs (up to 20,000!) that hatch
in about a week. Tadpoles eat continuously and may grow quite large. They
mature into adults in about a month. Adult toads are often seen moving
around in the fall as they look for places to hibernate.
Distribution and Habitat Toad warts are actually poison
This is the toad most likely to glands the animal uses to ward off
be found in Fairfax County. It is predators. Most snakes are immune
replaced in the southeastern to the poison. You cannot “catch”
Piedmont and Coastal Plain warts by handling a toad.
provinces by its close relative, the
Southern Toad (A. terrestris). Adult
toads spend more time on land
than other frogs, but must stay near water to keep their skin moist. They hide
under logs, rocks, porches and other dark places during the day and come
out at night. In winter, toads hibernate in underground burrows.
Role in Food Web
Tadpoles are omnivorous and eat just
about anything including algae, detritus,
dead animals and each other. Adults
are carnivorous and consume whatever
they can catch and fit into their mouths.
Common prey items include adult and
larval insects, isopods, spiders, harvestmen
and millipedes. Their main predators are
snakes; the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake
(Page 118) preys almost entirely on toads.
r 107 r
