Know Your Toads

Nine species of toad occur in the great state of Texas and they occupy every known habitat type, from the gulf coast prairies to the deserts and mountains of west Texas. In fact, they say you are never more that 2 feet from a toad at any time whilst in Texas. Ok that’s not true, that’s rats in New York City. But honestly, Texas actually ranks #1 in the United States for toad diversity, something else to add to the list of Texan’s bragging rights.

 

Toads are a familiar site to most Texans, crossing the road en masse after a heavy summer downpour, hanging around the porch at night eating bugs attracted by the light, and being responsible for thousands of foamy mouthed back-yard dogs. But most things about toads go largely unnoticed by all but the most astute observer. For example, as natural pest control agents, toads consume in enormous number of insects each year, some of which are vectors of human diseases or have the ability to wreak untold economic havoc by destroying crops or forests. Toads can live up to 40 years in captivity, a pretty good age for an animal usually only a few inches long and a few ounces in weight.

 

Toads possess an ability to tolerate drier conditions than their cousins, the frogs. This in part, has probably allowed them to colonize even the driest areas in Texas, and is accomplished by thick and less water permeable skin. Their skin also contains numerous toxin glands, they are all over the toad’s body, but a large gland is situated in an area on the side of the head. This gland is called the parotoid gland and secretes toxins when the toad is molested either by a curious canine or a genuine predator. Most toads have different shaped parotoid glands and, in conjunction with the ridges on the heads of toads called cranial crests, can be useful for the identification of different species.

Houston toad – Cranial crests are thickened, particularly the ones that touch the parotoid glands.

 

 

 

 

REPORT A TOAD SIGHTING,
 

We can help you ID a toad if you'd like, in fact, some toads are so hard to identify, because of their small size or because some of them are hybrids and display characteristics intermediate to different species.
 
If you think you have a Houston toad, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR DISTURB THE TOAD, special permits are needed to "mess" with endangered species and can only be issued by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
 
Take a picture of the toad, make sure its in focus and its head is in view, and then back away, if you can make a sound recording of any noises the toads are making, that will help us to confirm what toad it is.
 
Email the photos, sound files, and as much information as you can about its size, behavior and habitat, and importantly, the location of where the photo was taken to conservation@houstonzoo.org or call 713 533 6594.