Toad Facts

Our friend the Mrora Forest Toad lives in the coastal areas of Tanzania, including the the Mafia Island and Zanzibar! Like yesterday's toad, they are a member of genus Mertensophryne, known as "snouted toads" because of their somewhat pointy noses! (photo by dmblokz)

Our friend the Dar-es-Salaam Toad is a small toad lives in the coastal lowlands of eastern Tanzania! They grow to less than an inch and a half long! They are rather shy and usually only found after heavy rains! (photo by Luke Verburgt)

Our friend the Napal Licin Stream Toad is only known from an area around the historical village of Napal Licin in south Sumatra, Indonesia! They were first described as a new species in 2004! (photo by Sepriyoga Virdana)

Our friend the Muller's Stream Toad lives near streams in the Mountains of central and western Mindanao and Dinagat Island in the Philippines! Their tadpoles have mouth parts that resemble suctions cups, used to hold on to rocks in the streams where they develop! (photo by Lorjie Bation)

Our friend the Lesser Granulated Toad lives in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay! Their skin is covered in lots of warty and spiny bumps which looks a bit like gravel, and is where they get their name! (photo by Hugo Hulsberg)

Our friend the Asiatic Toad lives throughout Asia including China, India, Russia, Vietnam, and the Korean peninsula! In 1998, scientists patented an antimicrobial peptide called Buforin, developed from studying these toads! (photo by ShaoYuZhang Zhang)

Our friend Pallas' Spadefoot doesn't like cold weather and is known to burrow down to depths of almost six feet during the cold winters where they live in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and extreme western Russia! (photo by Рустам Сафаргалиев)

Our friend the European Fire-Bellied Toad has a dull, mud-colored back, but a very brightly colored belly! They are very popular in the pet trade, but probably prefer to live in their home near water bodies in the eastern part of mainland Europe! (photo by Sara Srša)

Our friend the Western Japanese Common Toad is normally a very rough-skinned and warty toad, but they become much smoother during breeding season! Individual females are known to perform amplexus with multiple males during breeding season! (photo by Edward)

Our friend the Usambara Forest Toad is a critically endangered toad that has only been found in three sites in the foothills of the East Usambara Mountains in northeastern Tanzania! (photo by Michele Menegon)

Our friend Kotagama's Dwarf Toad lives in the leaf litter of forests in Sri Lanka! They grow to 2.5 inches long, which isn't particularly small for a toad! (photo by blackdogto)

Our friend Rhinella proboscidea is a small toad that lives in the Amazon river region of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru! They are most famous, or perhaps infamous, for being the only species known to practice reproductive necrophilia! (photo by Lucas Botelho)

Our friend the Togo Toad lives in western Africa from Sierra Leone to Togo! They are a moderately sized toad, with males growing to about 2.5 inches long! A population in Sierra Leone was once known as the Tingi Hills Toad but is now considered synonymous with the Togo Toad! (photo by Alex Rebelo)

Our friend the Four-digit Toad, Didynamipus sjostedti, was named after the Swedish naturalist Bror Yngve Sjöstedt! They are a very small toad who only has four toes on each foot! They also do not have inner ear structures! (photo by Václav Gvoždík)

Our friend Brachycephalus rotenbergae is one of several tiny pumpkin toads was first described as a new species in 2021! They are named after a Brazilian conservationist, Elise Laura K. Rotenberg! (photo by herping_brasil)

Our friend Balletto's Toad is a relatively common species who lives along the Red Sea coastline of Saudi Arabia and Yemen! When they feel threatened they like to dig down into the sand to hide! (photo by Denis Hlaváč)

Don't confuse our friend the Gulf Coast toad, Incilius nebulifer, with its close relative the Gulf Coast Toad, Incilius valliceps! I. nebulifer lives along the northern and western Gulf of Mexico, while I. valliceps lives along the southern Gulf coast and into Costa Rica! (Photo by Etienne Falquet)

Our friend the Asian Yellow-spotted Climbing Toad lives in the Sarawak region of southern and western Borneo! Males of this species are dull and brown, while the females are brightly colored with yellow, green, and sometimes purple colors! (photo by Chun Xing Wong)

Our friend the Peru Coast Toad lives in a narrow strip along the Pacific coast of Peru from the Sechura Desert to the Pisco province! They are known to mostly live in arid, desert areas, but can sometimes be found in people's gardens! (photo by Antonio Chávez S.S.)

Our friend the Spotted Toad lives throughout the Amazon basin of South America! Males of this species are rather large at nearly six inches long, but females are very large at up to 10 inches long! They produce a toxin strong enough to cause heart failure in humans! (photo by sernat)

Our friend the Bambuto Torrent Toad lives near streams at high altitudes in areas between Mount Manengouba and Mount Oku in Cameroon! They have no inner ear structures or vocal sacs, and it is believed they are all mute! (photo by Jean-Louis Amiet)

Our friend the Colombian Beaked Toad lives in high-altitude grasslands in the department of Antioch in Colombia! They are often found hiding among the leaves of large fuzzy-leaved sunshrubs known as "frailejones" or "big monks"! (photo by Khristian Venegas Valencia)

Our friend the Hoesch's Toad lives in very dry semi-desert areas in western and central Namibia! They have adapted coloration that helps them blend in with the rocky and sandy soil where they live! (photo by Marius)

Our friend the Apennine Yellow-bellied Toad only lays a few eggs at a time during breeding, but breeds several times per year to make up for it! They have triangular pupils that sometimes look heart-shaped! They have a bright yellow belly! (photo by ilsignorvega)

Toads in genus Melanophryniscus, such as our friend the Orejas-Miranda Redbelly Toad, perform a defensive posture known as the unken reflex to warn predators that they are not good to eat! They arch their back and lift their legs to display their brightly colored belly! (photo by Martin Klippel)

Our friend the Azuay Stubfoot Toad lives in the central highlands of Ecuador! They were once considered extinct but were rediscovered in the wild in 2015! They are also known as the Cuenca Jambato Frog! A captive population is maintained in the Amaru Zoo in Cuenca, Ecuador! (photo by Felipe Campos)

Our friend the Giant River Toad grows up to 8.5 inches long and can secrete a large amount of highly toxic, milky poison from their skin! Their eggs and tadpoles are also toxic! They are one of two species of toads in genus Phrynoidis, aka Rough Toads or River Toads! (photo by Lawrence Hylton)

Our friend the Canadian Toad lives in the prairie regions of western Canada and south into the upper midwest of the United States! Sometimes they are called the Dakota Toad! During winter they hibernate in mima mounds that can contain hundreds of toads! (photo by Dustin Snider)

Our friend the Falcon Toad lives in Colombia and Venezuela, and is named after the Falcón region of northern Venezuela! Their scientific name, Rhinella sternosignata, refers to markings on their chest! (photo by MaJo Rz)

Our friend the European Green Toad is a very common toad through most of their range, which covers most of Europe! They grow to nearly five inches long and have a recognizable "chirring" call that they use to attract mates! (photo by Dr. Sven Gippner) www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6oh...

Our friend the Texas Toad lives in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and northern Mexico! They are one of the most common toads in the United States! Since 2009 they have been the official state amphibian of Texas! (photo by Reid Hardin)

Our friend the African Giant Toad grows to nearly five inches long and lives in three distinct populations in tropical Central and West Africa! One population, found in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has been described as a mimic of the venomous Gaboon viper! (photo by Ryan van Huyssteen)

Our friend Spea labreae is an extinct species of Spadefoot toad who was first described as a new species earlier this year, from fossils collected in the La Brea Tar Pits in California! They were somewhat larger than the Spadefoots who currently live in the same area! (Artwork by Arturo Dávalos

Our friend the Honduras Rainforest Toad lives in northern Honduras and can be found in both La Muralla National Park and Pico Bonito National Park! They mostly live on the ground but are sometimes found perching in trees! (photo by Emmanuel Rodríguez Rojas)

Our friend the Plains Spadefoot has a call that can be heard over a mile away and attracts both males and females, who gather in large mating groups of hundreds of toads! Each female can lay up to 2000 eggs! (photo by Tom Kennedy)

Our friend the Cayenne Stubfoot Toad lives in Brazil and French Guiana and is relatively common for a stubfoot toad! They range in color from purple to fiery red! (photo by Nicolas Burnel)

Our friend the Whitebelly Stream Toad is also known as the White-lipped Slender Toad! Like other stream toads, they breed in rocky-bottomed streams, and their tadpoles have special suckers to hold onto rocks in the moving water! (photo by Lars Fehlandt)

Our friend Rhinella stanlaii was named after the investment banker Stan Lai, who received the honor as a birthday gift through a donation to BIOPAT! They are a common toad who lives in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay! (photo by John Sullivan)

Our friend the Lowland Dwarf Toad grows to less than an inch long and spends a lot of their time in trees! Their tadpoles develop in the water filled cavities of trees and have a large yolk sac that sustain them until they metamorphosize into young toads! (photo by Oliver Bandz)

Our friend the Pine Toad lives on the Central Mexican Plateau in the many different habitat types available on the plateau, including the pine forests that give them their name! (photo by Arturo Castro Castro)

Our friend the Subdesert Toad lives in a large area stretching throughout Africa from Senegal to Somalia! They spend the warmer months aestivating underground but are very active during cooler months of the year, usually from September to March! (photo by Xavier Rufray)

Our friend the Syrian Spadefoot lives in a large area from Eastern Europe to Western Asia! They are known for sometimes overwintering in their tadpole stage, becoming a huge tadpole before undergoing metamorphosis! (photos by David Broek and עומר וינר)

Our friend the Large-webbed Bell Toad lives in Yunnan, China and likely also in Myanmar! They are an extremely lumpy and bumpy toad who secretes toxins through their skin that protect them from both predators and diseases! (photo by 年年)

Our friend the Bocourt's Toad lives in far southern Mexico and southwestern Guatemala! They normally live in coniferous highlands but have adapted to heavily disturbed treeless areas caused by logging! (photo by Chris Gruenwald Herp.mx)

Our friend the Western Toad is active from around January to October every year, depending on weather, and hibernate during the winter! They often hibernate in natural hollows near streams, which tend to stay just above freezing temperatures! (photo by Luis Huxley)

Our friend Rhaebo haematiticus, the Leaf Litter Toad, lives throughout Central America and the far northern countries of South America! They are also known as the Sanguinolent Toad, a word meaning "tinged with blood", which is also referenced in their scientific name! (photo by Nico Blüthgen)

Our friend the Woodhouse's Toad is a common toad who lives throughout a large area of the United States from Louisiana to new Mexico and north to North Dakota and Montana! They have several recognized subspecies in different parts of the United States! (photo by Joshua Smith)

When threatened, our friend the Desert Spadefoot will puff themselves up and secrete a sticky yellow liquid! During mating season, males like to float in the water and call with loud "whoop! whoop!" sounds that can be heard miles away! (photo by thewildgtrv)