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Fowler's toad
Fowler’s toad (Anaxyrus fowleri)
Illinois Status: common, native
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
Fowler's toad averages two to three inches in length. It has three or more bumps, or warts, in each of the largest, dark spots on the back. The chest and belly are not spotted. The parotoid glands on the upper back touch the ridges behind the eyes. The body is most often brown or gray but may be green or brick red. A light stripe in the middle of the back is usually present.
BEHAVIORS
Fowler's toad may be found in the southern two-thirds of Illinois. It lives anywhere that it can have access to shallow bodies of water for breeding, moist hiding places and plenty of food, such as in gardens, lawns, woods or fields. Fowler's toad is active mainly at night. It breeds from late April to June. The male's call is a prolonged, nasal scream. Each female may deposit up to 25,000 eggs. Eggs are laid in long strings, and hatching occurs in about one week. Tadpoles transform into the land-based form from late June through July. This toad eats insects and worms.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Bufonidae
Habitats
Aquatic
bottomland forests; lakes, ponds and reservoirs; marshes; rivers and streams; swamps; temporary water supplies
Woodland
bottomland forests; coniferous forests; southern Illinois lowlands; upland deciduous forests
Prairie and Edge
black soil prairie; dolomite prairie; edge; gravel prairie; hill prairie; sand prairie; shrub prairie
