amphibian of the week

the American toad (Bufo americanus)

even though toads live on land, they breed in water so that the eggs can be deposited in water. this male has come to the pond to attract any available female. we know he's a male because JM watched with the binos while he puffed up his throat like a balloon and slowly let out the distinctive long trill. it's one of the best spring sounds, especially at night, when many males are calling. one starts, another joins in, the first dies down, a third enters, the second dies down, and the first is ready to call again. i watched a smaller male calling this afternoon. his pitch was higher; the lower bass of a nearby individual did indeed seem more stereotypically masculine. we don't know if either toad got lucky.

all those unattractive warts on the toad's back hold a milky fluid poison that can make many animal predators very sick. however, the main predator is the garter snake, which is immune to the poison. the fluid is only dangerous to humans if it is swallowed or gets in the eyes.

you can see why toads don't have the following that frogs do, even though one toad can eat up to 1,000 insects a day.

and how did the term "toady" come to mean a suck-up syncophant? the dictionary says that it derives from "toad-eater," the assistant working for a 19th century charlatan in a scam where the assistant ate a toad (probably not Bufo americanus) that was supposedly poisonous and was "cured" by the charlatan.