Fowler's Toad (Frog/Toad Species of the Hampton Roads Area)

Fowler's Toad

Anaxyrus fowleri

Summary ⁵

Fowler's toad (Anaxyrus fowleri, formerly Bufo fowleri ) is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. The species is native to North America, where it occurs in much of the eastern United States and parts of adjacent Canada. It was previously considered a subspecies of Woodhouse's toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii, formerly Bufo woodhousii ). Anaxyrus comes from the Greek meaning "A king or chief". Owleri is in honor of S.P. Fowler, a naturalist from Massachusetts. The average length of a Fowler's toad is 2-3 inches long. This species is abundant on the coastal plain with a more patch distribution further inland, inland populations are typically found in sandy areas around shores of lakes or in river valleys.

Physical Description ⁶

This species is 2 to 3 inches long and its dorsum color ranges from brown to olive to gray with a light middorsal stripe. The dark dorsal spots typically have 3 or more warts. The cranial crests are small and connected to the parotoid glands. The venter is generally unspotted though some specimens have a large dark breast patch. Males are smaller than the females and have a black throat. This species hybridizes with Bufo americanus and Bufo terrestris making identification sometimes difficult.

Reproduction ⁶

This species breeds from March to July. During the breeding season, the male emits a dischordant call lasting 1-4 seconds. Mating occurs in the shallows along stream, lake and pond borders. Fertilization is external with the female lays approximately 7000 eggs in 2 gelatinous strings. The eggs hatch in about 1 week. These tadpoles metamorphose in 1 to 2 months with the newly transformed toads range in size from 8 to 11 mm.

Behavior ⁶

During breeding season, males call from shallow bodies of water including ditches, ponds and streams. Toads may appear in areas where not previously known during heavy rains following a period of drought. This species is an insectivore.

Fontes e Créditos

Sem direitos reservados, uploaded by TaelorJones
(c) Dendroica cerulea, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/dendroica/14565728338/
(c) Tom Benson, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/40928097@N07/36826407551/
(c) Michael Kappel, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/m-i-k-e/8084891692/
Adaptado por colbyb de uma obra de (c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaxyrus_fowleri
(c) colbyb, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA)