Natural History: Anaxyrus Terrestris

During our field trip to Caw Caw County Park, we lifted many limbs and logs to look for local herps hiding underneath. Finally, we found two Southern Toads together under a dead log. This species usually hides under forest litter or burrows under loose soil, so it's not surprise where we found them. Their wide bodies and the keratinized spade on their hind limbs allow for efficient burrowing. The two frogs were of different life stages. We determined that the larger was sexually mature, but the smaller was still a juvenile and not yet sexually mature. Males are typically smaller than females, so the smaller could possibly have been a developing male. 

Southern Toads are found in the southeast ranging from Florida to Virginia and as far west as Louisiana, but they are not found in Tennessee. In their many habitats including: coastal scrub, agricultural fields, and pine woodlands, they remain extremely close to water. As Caw Caw County Park has historic rice fields, it creates the ideal habitat for Southern Toads. They are usually dark in color and have dry skins covered in warts. Their large parotid glands right behind their eyes are easily distinguishable.

I really enjoyed visiting Caw Caw County Park as we saw new species that we hadn’t seen at Dixie Plantation. We saw a few herps in the traps, but it’s always more exciting to find them by lifting limbs and looking near trees, such as with the Southern Toad. I find the burrowing frogs to be extremely cute with their wide, fat bodies and big eyes.

Source: https://srelherp.uga.edu/anurans/bufter.htm