American Toad
Introduction
In my last post I covered one of
the animals I work with at the nature center the grey tree frog. During my last
visit there I noticed every type of animal I work with has been a visitor to my
backyard. So, I decided to cover them all in the upcoming weeks. This week’s
post is going to be on a common spring and summer visitor to my backyard the Eastern
American toad.
Photo Credit Matt Bell 2018American Toad in my Backyard
Like the gray tree frog, the Eastern
American toad has pretty much been with me all my life. In fact I would say it
is one of the most common animals I have in my backyard. Every time I would
capture animals for my spring and summer terrariums, the American toad would
always be included. One summer at my Pittsburgh home, I was able to collect
seven different American toads. I kept them in three or four different
terrariums.
The toad collecting decreased when
I moved to Indiana. The toads were still a common sight, but I lived near a
pond and was more interested in capturing the frogs that lived in it.
When I moved to my current home, I
caught several toads. One time a found a toad that was missing a front leg. I
thought this was interesting and kept him as a pet. I actually placed him in with my two anole lizards. He got along fine with the anoles, and lived for
about five years.
At the nature center I work with a
fat American toad named Jabba. Jabba lives in a ten gallon terrarium complete
with UV lights, and a small pool of water. Jabba eats the most out of any
animal there, eating around five to seven crickets per feeding.
American Toad Fast Facts
- The average size of an American toad is between 2.0 and 3.5 inches.
- American toads help their ecosystem by eating large numbers of insects.
- A single toad can eat around 1,000 insects every day.
- Female toads often lay their eggs in ponds without fish.
- When tadpoles first become toads, they are known as toadlets.
- American toads normally live only one to two years in the wild. Many do not ever make it passed the tadpole stage. However, some wild American toads have been known to live longer than ten years.
- The longest an American toad has lived in captivity is 36 years.
- Toads absorb water through an area known as the seat patch which is located in their lower abdomen.
- The myth that touching a toad gives a person warts is false. However, the bump behind the toad ear contain poisons that can irritate the skin.
- The skin color of an American toad can change. Factors that cause this include: temperature, habitat color, stress, and humidity. Common colors include brown, yellow, and black.
Habitat
In Pennsylvania, American toads can
be found almost anywhere. The preferred habitat for American toads is areas
with thick patches of vegetation and a large supply of insects. Areas like
farmland, meadows, forests, rocky hillsides, and backyards like mine make great
homes for American toads.
During hot periods of the day,
American toads can be found under flat stones, logs or manmade structures like
wood piles, and porches. I normally found my toads during the dusk hours of the
day.
Photo Credit Matt Bell 2018
Diet
Adult toads eat small insects like
earthworms, slugs, moths, ants, and beetles. In tadpole form American toads eat
aquatic organic matter like dead fish, detritus, and algae.
Predators
Adult American toads are preyed
upon by raccoons, hawks, herons, and snakes. Two species of snakes that often
feed on American toads are the eastern hognose snake and garter snake, which
are immune to the toad’s poisonous glands. “One time I found a garter snake
halfway in a bush. When I pulled him out he had a toad halfway in his mouth.
The snake released the toad once I grabbed it and the toad hopped away.”
To avoid predators the American toad’s
first defense is camouflage. If this tactic fails, the toad inflates its body
to make himself larger. Sometimes, the toad will even urinate on themselves.
This makes them a less tasty meal.
American toad tadpoles are preyed
upon by water birds, diving beetles, crayfish, giant water bugs, and dragonfly
naiads. During day time hours to avoid predator’s, tadpoles swim close together
and swim in shallow water. This is why you often see tadpoles when walking near
a pond. The tadpoles skin is also poisonous to some species, which also
helps the tadpole survive.
Photo Credit Patrick Coin
Reproduction
In Pennsylvania breeding season for
American toads lasts from March to July. During the peak of breeding season,
male toads establish a territory. The calls of the male toads can be heard
during the night and on hot wet days. Female toads will choose a mate by the breeding
territory the male has and the calls he makes. Mating normally occurs in places
like lakes, slow-moving streams, ponds, and wetlands. When mating occurs the
female toad lays between 4000 and 8000 eggs in two rows. The eggs lie at the
bottom of the pond or attach to a piece of vegetation. The eggs will hatch
between 3 and 12 days. Once hatched the tadpoles become toadlets in 2 months.
The toadlet will reach reproductive maturity in about 2 years.
American Toads in the Garden
American toads are a great asset to
any garden. An American toad eats pesky garden insects like flies, slugs, and
mosquitoes. In fact an American toad can eat more than 10,000 insects in a
single summer! This natural insect remover will improve the health of a garden
without the use of pesticides.
Attracting Toads To a Garden
To attract toads to a garden, it
needs two main factors shelter, and water. Creating a shelter for toads can be
very easy. A turned over clay pot or placing a small pile of brush in a garden
can be great shelters for toads.
A small water source is
also needed. An easy way to create a water source is burrowing the edges of a
large saucer into the ground. This will create a small pond. If your garden is
like mine and has a large fish pond you will need to create ways for the toad
to exit the pond. I do this by adding a small piece of non-treated drift wood.
The toad or frogs can sit on it and exit the pond as they please.
In addition to these factors it is
important to keep the garden free of harmful chemicals. Toads are highly
sensitive to toxins, and some toxins can even be deadly. Some harmful garden
chemicals include: fungicides, pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic
fertilizers. Some pond water treatment chemicals may also be deadly to toads.
However, I have used several different algae killing chemicals and the frogs
and toads around the garden were just fine. I suggest checking with your local
pond store to find safe frog and toad products to use in your garden.
Photo Credit Wilson44691
Conclusion
The American toad is one the most
common amphibians in Pennsylvania, and across the east coast. It may not be the
prettiest creature found in a backyard. However, the American toad greatly
benefits gardens and ecosystems by eating harmful insects. Join me next time as we explore wildlife in my
backyard and other nature topics.
References and Additional Resources
New Hampshire PBS. (2017). American
Toad - Anaxyrus americanus. Retrieved from
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/americantoad.htm
Off The Grid News. (2017). Frogs
and Toads in the Garden. Retrieved from
http://www.offthegridnews.com/food/frogs-and-toads-in-the-garden/
PAHERPS. (2016). Eastern American
Toad. Retrieved from
http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/american_toad/
Partymiller, L. (N.D.). American
Toad. Retrieved from
https://srelherp.uga.edu/anurans/bufame.htm
University of Michigan. (2014).
Anaxyrus americanusAmerican Toad. Retrieved from https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Anaxyrus_americanus/
Photo References
Jarek Tuszyński / CC-BY-SA-4.0,
CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40028506
Patrick Coin (Patrick Coin) - Photograph taken by Patrick
Coin, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=717331
Wilson44691 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19288871
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