Common Names: Sonoran Toad
Genus: Bufo
Species: alvarius
A toad is a small animal without a tail that looks alot like a frog. It is a type of animal called an amphibian. That means that toads live in water and on land. Toads have dry, warty skin with a raised area behind the eyes. The desert toad is olive green in color with a white "wart" bumpy area near the jaw and on the back legs. The Sonoran Desert Toad is the largest toad found in the United States, and it measures 7 inches in size.
The Sonoran Desert Toad is found in the Southwest United States Desert. The toad lives in the areas of the desert that stay wet. Sonoran Desert Toads eat insects and mice.
In the spring, the male toad "sings" to attract the female. A female toad can lay up to 8,000 eggs. The eggs are laid in water and hatch in 2-12 days and are called tadpoles. The tadpoles change or go through "metamorphosis" . This change can take from 3 to 8 weeks. Once the toads have changed, they live on land. They grow to their adult size in less than 1 years. Toads can live ten years or more.
Toads can live in the desert where water is sometimes not easily available. The toad spends the dry winters buried under ground. The spring rains "wake" the toad. The toad survives on fat in its body. This is called hibernation.
Sonoran Desert Toads are not endangered.
by Amanda K. and Edey Y. 2000