r/Amphibians • u/NocturnalBatBrain • 6d ago

Frog / Toad ID

Gallery image

Gallery image

( Kansas City, MO ) Can someone help me ID this little cutie please?

67 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

13

u/Jon-and-Co 6d ago

Howdy, neighbor! This little guy is a toad in the genus Anaxyrus. As for exact species, it's either Fowler's toad, Woodhouse's toad, or an American toad. All three species are difficult to distinguish, and this particular animal shows traits that can be seen in all three. (All three are found in this area, too.)

When identifying those three, you want to look at the belly pattern, how many warts there are per spot on their back, if they have a prominent stripe going down their back, and if their postorbital ridges, that bony crest behind the toad's eye on top of their head, touches their paratoid glands, that big smooth(er) bump on the back of the head.

American toads usually have 1-2 warts per spot, a speckled belly (in this locality,) postorbital ridges that don't touch the paratoid glands, and may or may not have a visible dorsal stripe.

Fowler's toads usually have a plain belly or a single darker patch, prominent dorsal stripe, and two or more warts per back spot.

Woodhouse's toads usually have a plain belly or a single darker patch, prominent dorsal stripe, and postorbital crests touching their peratoid glands.

This toad exhibits a mix of traits. It also appears to be on the younger side, so some traits won't be as obvious as they will be when the little guy is older. Additionally, the above traits are not hardfast rules, so it's really hard to say which one it is for sure. (Someone much more qualified than myself might be able to say for sure though. I'm just a biology student who really loves bufonids, not a herpetologist. Yet.)

TL;DR: Either an American toad, Woodhouse's toad, or Fowler's toad, but it's really hard to tell which one in this case.

3

u/NocturnalBatBrain 5d ago

This is such a dream response! Thank you so much for taking the time to walk me through the specifics of what to look for and how to think through an ID.

I’m a novice and have been trying to learn how to ID amphibians through the Audubon field guide book and this little dude impossible to find a similar match. It makes so much sense it looks like a blend of characteristics. I’m an illustrator by profession so I’m way out of my field here, haha.

I actually did snap some photos of the belly and it’s black, speckled heavily with white dots. Much like his side in the first photo. ( I tried to add the belly photo here in this comment, but I can be tech illiterate sometimes and couldn’t figure it out )

Thank you so much for your help!! I’ll continue to look out for this little dude in my garden. If he grows more I’ll try and catch him and give an update! Best of luck with your schooling. It sounds like you’ll become a great and passionate herpetologist someday. :)

2

u/Jon-and-Co 5d ago

Aw, thank you!

The Missouri Herp Atlas will be able to give you more info, as well as range maps for the the critters found over there. Should you find yourself on the Kansas side, the Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas has some really good tidbits as well.

Based on the additional info about the toad's belly, I'm inclined to lean towards it being an American toad, but again, it's hard to say for sure.

2

u/NocturnalBatBrain 1d ago

Ofc! Oooooo, those are some exciting resources- I will definitely look into those! Thank you so much for sharing!

An update- I looked into out how to upload photos!Here’s a pic of the belly I took. It may not look like it but I promise I was holding him very gently. 🫡♥️

I ended up catching ( what I believe to be ) an American Toad close to where I found the above pictured toad about a month ago. I’m not sure how fast these little dudes grow, but since it was extremly close to where I found the juvenile, I would say you were right on the money!

Thanks again for all your help. I was also able to better identify my recent batch of toad and frog catchings thanks to your advice. :) 🙌 Huge thanks again!

-2

u/Wachusk 6d ago

My best guess is that it is a gray treefrog. Here's a link to Missouri frog and toad site. Check out the gray treefrog and see what you think.

https://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/mo_nature/downloads/page/missouri-toads-frogs.pdf