Species
Fowler's toad
Anaxyrus fowleri
A toad of sandy riverbanks and yards whose call is a nasal bleat, like a sheep.
Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 5 to 8 cm long
- Habitat
- Sandy areas near water: riverbanks, beaches, fields and gardens
- Diet
- Insects and other invertebrates
- In Georgia
- Statewide except the far south
- Voice
- A nasal "waaaah" lasting a few seconds, like a bleating sheep
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Grey or brown with dark spots each holding three or more warts; pale stripe down the back; unspotted belly
- Told apart from
- American toad, which has one or two warts per spot and a spotted belly
- Told apart from
- Southern toad, which has high head ridges ending in knobs
- Where to look
- On sandy ground near water at night
Behaviour
Fowler's toads breed later in spring than American toads, in shallow water. They spend dry days burrowed in sand.
Why they matter
They eat many insects and are food for snakes, birds and raccoons.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Eggs — Thousands, in long strings
Hatching — In a week
Tadpoles — Change into toadlets in 4 to 8 weeks
Maturity — In two to three years
Lifespan — Several years
Calling — On warm spring nights
Living around people
- Toads are harmless; wash hands after handling one.
Misconceptions
- All toads are the same. Georgia has four native toads, each with its own call.
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 | Burrowed | Burrowed | Burrowed | Breeding | Breeding | Toadlets leaving the water | Active at night | Active | Active | Burrowing in | Burrowed | Burrowed |
Where it lives
Recorded in 29 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
Canada
If you found one
Answer a few questions and you will get a specific answer for what you are looking at.
I found an animal