Frog Pictures
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Approximately ninety native native frog and toad species call North America home, with many other non-native species kept as pets.
The warm and moist climate of the Southeast makes for a hospitable frog habitat and explains the region's high frog diversity. North Carolina, for example, hosts thirty different species.
The vast majority of frog and toad species found in the United States fit into one of three different families:
- Bufonidae (true toads)
- Hylidae (tree frogs)
- Ranidae (true frogs)
Descriptions of the Western Toad (Bufo boreas) align closely with any general description of toads.
They are wart covered, medium sized amphibians (up to five inches long) that prefer terrestrial living during non-breeding season. They range as far north as Alaska and British Columbia, down through the northern Rocky Mountains and the West Coast states.
Skin color varies from olive to brown, depending on habitat. The light stripe down the back is the most distinctive field identification mark.
Habitat destruction commonly ranks as the primary factor accounting for population declines throughout its range.
In 2005 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service declined to list the Southern Rocky Mountain population as an endangered species. They are considered a species of concern, and research on their population trends continues.
Western Toads tend to walk more than they jump, so if you pass one by during a hike, it might stay in close enough proximity for a picture opportunity.
Finding them is a different situation. They are considered nocturnal in their lower elevation habitats and diurnal in their higher elevation habitats.
It takes some effort turning over logs and rocks to find one resting at lower elevations during their active season.
Western Toads eat a variety of insects and other invertebrate animals within their territory. Like many species, they hibernate during the winter.
Gulf Coast toads (Bufo valliceps) are year round residents of the western Gulf Coast, from Mississippi to Texas.
Their color varies, however the white stripe down the back and spotted legs and characteristic of the species. Not shown is the dark stripe that runs from the eye down the side of the body.
Gulf Coast toads occupy different habitats, inland and along the coast, from residential areas, to roadsides and forests. They're most active during the evening hours.
© 2001-2012. Patricia A. Michaels