Fowler's Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri)
Description and Morphological Characteristics
Fowler’s Toads are medium sized toads that range 2-3 inches in length. They are stout, round-bodies toads with a blunt snout, and a light-colored stripe running down the middle of the dorsum. General body color can be gray, yellowish, greenish brown, olive, or very dark, often with an overall reddish tint. They have dark, irregularly shaped blotches across the back, usually with three or more warts per blotch. They have a white or yellowish venter, sometimes unmarked, but most of the time with dark areas on chest fading into small dark spots. Adult males almost always have a darker throat than the females, and are smaller in size. The cranial crests are prominent and extend down over the eardrums and usually have contact with the oval shaped paratoid glands.
Range
The native range of this species extends from New England, west to Michigan, and south to the Gulf of Mexico. The populations in east Texas are considered part of a hybrid zone with Woodhouse’s Toad, blurring the western edge of the range.
Habitat and Feeding
These frogs are found in a variety of habitats including wooded areas, floodplains, river valleys, sand dunes, and agriculture land. They have adapted well to urban areas and can be seen in yards and gardens so long as there are places where they can burrow easily underground. They prefer sandier soils and spend most of the day hiding under rocks, debris, or burrowed into the ground. Fowler’s Toads tend to approach their prey by walking rather than hopping and consume many different invertebrates such as flies, beetles, and ants.
Breeding and Reproduction
Breeding is triggered by warmer temperatures and occurs from April to August. They breed most often in the shallow waters of permanent ponds but can also breed successfully in temporary pools and roadside ditches. Males migrate to breeding locations and immediately begin calling out to females. Their advertisement call is a nasal “whir” or bleating, similar to that of a sheep or goat. The calls start at a lower pitch and quickly rise, lasting approximately 2.5 seconds, and are repeated at intermittent intervals. The females lay the eggs in a string, 2,000-4,000 at a time, which are attached to vegetation and float on the surface of the water. Tadpoles hatch within 7 days and metamorphose in a few months, depending on the permanency of the water body.
Conservation
Fowler’s Toads are common, widespread, and abundant throughout their range. Some populations have experienced local declines, likely due to urbanization and loss of habitat. The species is not under federal protection but is included on the Texas Parks and Wildlife White List.
Pertinent References
Bush, F. M., and Menhinick, E. 1962. The Food of Bufo woodhousei fowleri Hinckley. Herpetologica 18:110-114.
Bossert, M., Draud, M., Draud, T. 2003. Natural history notes: Bufo fowleri (Fowler’s Toad) and Malaclemmys terrapin (Northern Diamondback Terrapin). Refugia and Nesting. Herpetological Review 34:135.
Green, D. M. 2005. Fowler’s Toad. Pp. 408-412 in M. Lannoo (Ed.), Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, USA.
Account Author: Hailey Hester
Photos: James Childress
Edited by Christopher Schalk
Fowler’s Toads are medium sized toads that range 2-3 inches in length. They are stout, round-bodies toads with a blunt snout, and a light-colored stripe running down the middle of the dorsum. General body color can be gray, yellowish, greenish brown, olive, or very dark, often with an overall reddish tint. They have dark, irregularly shaped blotches across the back, usually with three or more warts per blotch. They have a white or yellowish venter, sometimes unmarked, but most of the time with dark areas on chest fading into small dark spots. Adult males almost always have a darker throat than the females, and are smaller in size. The cranial crests are prominent and extend down over the eardrums and usually have contact with the oval shaped paratoid glands.
Range
The native range of this species extends from New England, west to Michigan, and south to the Gulf of Mexico. The populations in east Texas are considered part of a hybrid zone with Woodhouse’s Toad, blurring the western edge of the range.
Habitat and Feeding
These frogs are found in a variety of habitats including wooded areas, floodplains, river valleys, sand dunes, and agriculture land. They have adapted well to urban areas and can be seen in yards and gardens so long as there are places where they can burrow easily underground. They prefer sandier soils and spend most of the day hiding under rocks, debris, or burrowed into the ground. Fowler’s Toads tend to approach their prey by walking rather than hopping and consume many different invertebrates such as flies, beetles, and ants.
Breeding and Reproduction
Breeding is triggered by warmer temperatures and occurs from April to August. They breed most often in the shallow waters of permanent ponds but can also breed successfully in temporary pools and roadside ditches. Males migrate to breeding locations and immediately begin calling out to females. Their advertisement call is a nasal “whir” or bleating, similar to that of a sheep or goat. The calls start at a lower pitch and quickly rise, lasting approximately 2.5 seconds, and are repeated at intermittent intervals. The females lay the eggs in a string, 2,000-4,000 at a time, which are attached to vegetation and float on the surface of the water. Tadpoles hatch within 7 days and metamorphose in a few months, depending on the permanency of the water body.
Conservation
Fowler’s Toads are common, widespread, and abundant throughout their range. Some populations have experienced local declines, likely due to urbanization and loss of habitat. The species is not under federal protection but is included on the Texas Parks and Wildlife White List.
Pertinent References
Bush, F. M., and Menhinick, E. 1962. The Food of Bufo woodhousei fowleri Hinckley. Herpetologica 18:110-114.
Bossert, M., Draud, M., Draud, T. 2003. Natural history notes: Bufo fowleri (Fowler’s Toad) and Malaclemmys terrapin (Northern Diamondback Terrapin). Refugia and Nesting. Herpetological Review 34:135.
Green, D. M. 2005. Fowler’s Toad. Pp. 408-412 in M. Lannoo (Ed.), Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. University of California Press, USA.
Account Author: Hailey Hester
Photos: James Childress
Edited by Christopher Schalk
