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Recognized Subspecies in VA: None Size: 2 - 3 inches Status: Least Concern Description & BehaviorFowler's Toads are thick skinned, warty, and mottled – the way all Anaxyrus should be. They are squat frogs and a common sight in most backyards. Their base color is typically gray, khaki, brown, or reddish; usually with darker spots. Legs are often banded. Two large "bumps" (parotid glands) behind the eye, over the tympanum (eardrum) are present. "Warts" (which are modified cutaneous glands that express distasteful toxins when squeezed and not viral cysts like actual warts in humans) are distributed across the body. Head is large like in most frogs, though smaller than the other large, native toad species. The rostrum is quite short. These frogs are nocturnal, but will often forage under lights, as the light draws insects. These frogs congregate near water bodies in the summer; though these water bodies could be anything from rivers and lakes to puddles in a yard. Here, spawning takes place. On the Eastern Shore, Fowler's Toads breed much earlier, sometimes starting in February. This is likely due, at least in part, to the lack of competition with American Toads. Scanning in yards, fields, forests, or near the water's edge is a common way to find these frogs. When not trying to find food or a mate, these frogs live in burrows. They will excavate a shallow burrow, sometimes under a shelter like a log or board (making them easy to flip under debris), or they will take-up residency in old mammal burrows. Summer rains trigger these frogs to emerge in great numbers, but not as localized and extreme as Eastern Spadefoots. Road cruising on these wet nights is a great way to find this species (sometimes by the hundreds). Habitat
Fowler's Toads are a generalist species, fitting into most habitats. They can be found in forests, fields, clearcuts, and even suburban areas. Breeding can occur in seemingly any water body; from rivers, lakes, oxbows, and puddles. It seems that the factors that define their range in Virginia may be more tied to where American Toads excel than a limit of the Fowler's Toad itself. American Toads do not seem fond of sandier soils. Fowler's Toads thrive in these area. In some of the counties on the southwestern edge of their range, Fowler's Toads stick to the rivers or sandstone ridges, likely do to American Toads struggling in these environments. Why do American Toads dislike or struggle with sandy soils? We don't know. All we know is there is a correlation between soil types and Anaxyrus ranges. Calls
Similar Species
Note: You can hover over the photos (tap on mobile) and arrows will appear to allow you to move between more photos of the profile species, and similar species for better comparison. Fowler's Toads are quite similar to two of the other three Anaxyrus species in Virginia. In most of this range they overlap with the larger Eastern American Toad. American Toads have larger heads, and males have beefier forearms. American Toads have several enlarged warts across the body and on the calf (tibial warts). The cranial ridges of American Toads often have a "spur" that connects to the parotid (this can disappear due to angle in some instances, like if the toad is looking up). The parotid themselves are often shaped like a kidney. The Southern Toad is tricky, as it looks very intermediate in many aspects to these two species, and is obscure to most people. Southern Toads overlap in the southeastern coastal plain, where they replace the American Toad. Southern Toads however, are built like American Toads. They often have lots of enlarged and spiny "warts" covering their body and more pronounced cranial ridges in most cases. Keep in mind, older female Southern Toads bare the most extreme cranial ridges, and young males may not seem to stand out amongst the ridges of others in this genus. Taxonomy & Phylogeny
The genus Anaxyrus was once part of the genus Bufo, which now only refers to "Old World Toads", and currently contains around 23 species. This genus is in the Family Bufonidae, also called the "True Toads". This group is well nested phylogenetically in the frogs (Anura), particularly within the Hyloidea. Other groups in the Hyloidea include several groups called "treefrogs" (including our Hylid Treefrogs native to Virginia), Horned Frogs (a.k.a. Pacman Frogs), and Dart Frogs. There are ample groups called "treefrogs", and thus if they are all actually treefrogs then all Hyloideans are treefrogs, including toads. In short, toads are not just frogs, but they can be considered "treefrogs". That said, the genus Anaxyrus is closer related to all other frogs in Virginia than it is to the Eastern Spadefoot. Spadefoots look like toads, but are not toads.
calling on the last week in May and Fowler's Toads on the second week of April. In this overlap, we noted several likely F1 and F2 hybrid toads at two sites. Both of these sites were garden ponds, making us question if suburban conditions or constructed water bodies contribute to to hybridization. There is very little scholarly data on Anaxyrus hybrids, and more work needs to be done to understand these toads' relationships. Works CitedPeralta-García, Anny & Leavitt, Dean & Hollingsworth, Bradford & Reeder, Tod. (2016). The Phylogenetic Position of the Little Mexican Toad, Anaxyrus kelloggi , Using Molecular Data. Journal of Herpetology. 50. 471-475. 10.1670/15-105. Link GalleryAll photos above -- © Ty Smith
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