Herpetofauna - One Life's List

Fowler's Toad
Bufo fowleri (formerly woodhousii fowleri)

St. Louis Co., Missouri. 1973.
 


 

 For today's lesson in Toad-Spotting, I give you the Fowler's Toad, the only North American Toad named after two early American naturalists.  Note the dark dorsal spots encircling 2-3 warts; note also the touching of the paratoid gland with the cranial ridges behind the eyes.  Not shown is the creamy, unspotted chin and chest.

The Fowler's Toad, the toad most likely to be seen on the Snake Road in southern Illinois, day or night. They are everywhere, and in the late summer the little toadlets that have morphed from toadpoles swell their numbers.  By fall, most of the little toadlets are gone, having fallen prey to other creatures.

The trill of the toad on a spring night is a beautiful sound, soft and yet full of purpose.

 
Return to Life List Index                    Return to Mike's Page