Last Friday night after some substantial rains I headed out to the Cainhoy region of the Francis Marion National Forest. I was out there searching for gopher frogs for my undergrad research but unfortunately none were calling. Because I was already out in the forest I decided to take advantage of the warm, humid conditions and see what I could find on the roads.
Almost immediately I found this small frog. Based on the body shape and large toe pads it was easily identified to the family hylidae. The size and unwebbed toes further narrowed this specimen down to the genus Hyla. Based on the general coloration my initial thoughts were that this was either a grey treefrog or a pine woods treefrog. Exposing the concealed hind surface of the frogs thigh I found a row of yellowish orange spots, indicating that this was a pine woods tree frog, Hyla femoralis.
These frogs inhabit pine flatwoods near ponds. The area of the Francis Marion where I was fit this habitat description perfectly. These frogs are not typically seen because they spend most of their times in tree tops. Perhaps this guy (or girl) was taking advantage of the warm and humid night to make a breeding migration.
There were also many members of this species on the road that night. Based on the presence of parotid glands which produce bufotoxins these frogs were clearly members of the family bufonidae. Locally Bufonidae is represented by only one genus, Anaxyrus. Based on the large size and position of the cranial crests I identified these as southern toads, Anaxyrus terrestris.
These frogs are very abundant in our region, especially where there are sandy and loose soils compatible for burrowing. I think that the southern toads I encountered were foraging for insects on the road.
(Kevin Maginn, SC)
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