Species
Eastern narrow-mouthed toad
Gastrophryne carolinensis
A small, smooth, pointy-headed toad that eats ants and bleats like a lamb after summer rain.
Photo Matt Felperin (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 2 to 3.5 cm long
- Habitat
- Moist places under logs, boards and leaf litter; gardens and woods
- Diet
- Ants, termites and small beetles
- In Georgia
- Common statewide
- Voice
- A nasal "baaaa" like a lamb
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Small and smooth; plump, pear-shaped body; pointed snout; fold of skin across the back of the head
- Told apart from
- True toads, which are warty
- Where to look
- Under boards and logs in damp soil
Behaviour
Narrow-mouthed toads burrow and live under cover, eating ants. The fold of skin behind the head can be pulled forward over the eyes to protect them from biting ants.
Why they matter
They eat ants and termites in great numbers.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Floating films on shallow water
Hatching — In a few days
Tadpoles — Change into toadlets in 3 to 10 weeks
Maturity — Within a year or two
Lifespan — A few years
Calling — After summer rains
Living around people
- It is harmless and eats ants.
Misconceptions
- It is a baby frog. It is a small adult toad of its own family.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Underground | Underground | Underground | Emerging | Breeding after rain | Breeding | Breeding | Young | Active | Burrowing in | Underground | Underground |
Where it lives
Recorded in 17 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
If you found one
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