American toad - Bufo americanus

Size: 2 - 3 1/2 inches (5.1-9 cm)

Voice: A long, drawn-out, high-pitched, musical trill lasting up to 30 seconds. The male's vocal sac is round when inflated.

Identification: Skin coloration is typically brown or reddish. One or two warts are present in each of the large dark blotches on their back. The white chest usually has dark speckles. The parotoid gland is typically separated from the cranial ridge.

Life stages: Females lay up to 20,000 eggs which normally hatch within one week. Large schools of tiny, black tadpoles feed together along the edge of shallow wetlands, emerging as a mass of tiny toads within approximately six weeks. Maturity occurs in two to three years.

Breeding habitat: Temporary wetlands, swamps, shallow bays of lakes, and backwaters of rivers, streams and ditches.

Summer habitat: While this species is most often associated with forest and woodland habitat, it also occupies grasslands, residential yards, and gardens.

Winter habitat: Subterranean, burrows below frost line.

Photo: ©A.B. Sheldon.