Southern toad-Anaxyrus terrestris

This southern toad, Anaxyrus terrestris, was found in a parking lot at Unicoi State Park in the mountains of Helen, GA a couple weeks ago. The toad was just passing through, and I was lucky enough to snap a picture as it paused before it hopped off along on its way. The parking lot was not very well lit and was surrounded by mixed hardwood forest on one side and a lake on the other. I recognized it as a southern toad because of the pronounced knobs and crests on the top of its head and the kidney-shaped parotid glands. I was not able to determine the sex of the toad, but I found this individual to be about 10 cm in length and most likely adult. This species is commonly found in the southeast, is terrestrial, and uses freshwater ponds and lakes for breeding. Adults normally remain hidden during the day and emerge near dusk from burrows it has dug to forage on insects like earwigs, beetles, ants, and cockroaches.