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Anaxyrus fowleri
Once considered a subspecies of Woodhouse's toad, Fowler's Toad is now recognized as a separate species. "Fowler's toads are usually brown, grey, olive green and rust red in color and have black edged dark spots on its back, with a light middorsal stripe. In each of the dark spots there are found to be three or more "warts". The ventral surface (belly) is usually whitish and almost completely unspotted."(wikipedia) This one was about 2 inches.
These toads live in open woodlands, prairies, meadows, and beaches throughout the Eastern U.S, burrowing underground when conditions become too hot or dry, or for winter hibernation. They breed in shallow waters. Fowler's Toad can hybridize with the the American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) and others resulting in a toad showing characteristics from both species.
Spotted on May 22, 2013
Submitted on May 22, 2013
1 Comment
Today I spotted my first toad in our yard (all of my spottings here are from my backyard) so YAY! I usually just take pictures from a distance but this time I decided to be a bit more hands on. So today is /also/ the day that I learned that one of a toad's defense mechanisms is to urinate when handled. Yay? OK, No, maybe not. Still, quite a neat little find.