Classification
Species:
Anaxyrus terrestris
Identification:
Toads belonging to the family bufonidae are easily identifiable by the presence
of paratoid glands behind the tympanum. Adult southern toads can be easily
identified in South Carolina by their pronounced cranial crests. The dark
splotches on their dorsum typically contain two or three bumps whereas the
similar looking American toad (Anaxyrus
americanus) typically only has one or two bumps per dark patch. In addition
the cranial crests on the american toad are less pronounced and do not connect
to the paratoid gland as does the crest of the southern toad.
Southern
toads are medium sized frogs and tend to be about the size of a walnut. Toads
have a biphasic metamorphic life cycle, like most other anurans, with fully
terrestrial adults. The specimen seen in the picture above is an adult as were
all of the southern toads observed. The terrestriality of the organism is
obvious in the bumps designed in moisture retention and short hind legs, useful
for hopping along the ground. They are a common sight in this region to the
point that when I asked a fellow classmate if he found anything under the log,
he replied "no, just more toads." No other representatives of the
family Bufonidae were found on either of the trips.
Like
other amphibians the toads were found hidden under logs on both field trips as
this is likely a good place to retain moisture during the middle of the day
when the sun would easily desiccate an organism that is not proficient at
retaining water. On the 20th the weather was more on the cold side for March,
but later in the afternoon the temperature approached 65 or 70 degrees
Fahrenheit. It was a nice sunny day but had rained a few days prior to the
trip. As there were many fallen trees under which were moist, it is not a
surprise that the toads were so easy to find.
1 comment:
How big was this individual? Was it male or female? How big are walnuts??
Which bufonids can be found in the lowcountry?
Post a Comment