Arizona toad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arizona toad |
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Bufo microscaphus Cope, 1867 |
The Arizona toad (Anaxyrus microscaphus) is a type of toad that belongs to the Bufonidae family. It is found only in the southwestern United States. These toads live in many different places. Their natural habitats include lowland forests, rivers, streams, swamps, and freshwater marshes. They also like springs, ponds, and even flooded farm fields.
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About Its Name
The Arizona toad was first described by an American scientist named Edward Drinker Cope in 1867. He was a herpetologist, which means he studied amphibians and reptiles. He first named it Bufo microscaphus. For many years, people thought there were three types, or subspecies, of this toad.
However, in 1998, another scientist named A. W. E. Gergus found that these three types were actually separate species. Later, in 2006, the large group of toads called Bufo was split up. The North American toads, including the Arizona toad, were then placed in a new group called Anaxyrus.
What Does the Arizona Toad Look Like?
The Arizona toad is a medium-sized toad. It usually grows to be about 53 to 79 millimeters (about 2 to 3 inches) long. Its back can be different colors, but it's often gray or beige. It has reddish-brown bumps, called warts, on its skin.
The toad has two oval-shaped glands behind its eyes called parotoid glands. These glands are usually far apart. Sometimes, you might see a light-colored stripe or patch on its head or along its back. Young Arizona toads, called juveniles, are often salmon-colored or greenish-brown.
Where Do Arizona Toads Live?
The Arizona toad lives in a continuous area along the Virgin River and its smaller streams. This area includes southwestern Utah, southern Nevada, and parts of Arizona and western New Mexico. It is a protected species in Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. Some protected groups live in Zion National Park.
These toads often live in sandy areas close to streams, usually within 100 meters (about 330 feet). They like places with flood channels and thick groups of willow trees. They can also be found on sandy areas nearby with oak and cottonwood trees. In Arizona and New Mexico, they sometimes live at higher places, up to about 2,000 meters (about 6,500 feet) high. During summer rains, they can be found in forests near rivers. After they breed, they might move into farm fields that are watered. They also live around lakes, ponds, and other water areas.
How Do Arizona Toads Behave?
Breeding Habits
Arizona toads breed in calm waters, like the edges of streams or small pools. Trees and bushes like Fremont's cottonwood and willows often grow near these breeding spots. Breeding starts in late February in Arizona. In higher places in Arizona and in Utah, it begins a few weeks later.
Male toads make a long trilling call that lasts about six seconds. Sometimes, other males, called "satellite males," wait nearby. They try to mate with females that come close, without calling themselves. The male toad holds onto the female, and she lays about 4,500 eggs in shallow water. The eggs hatch in three to six days. How fast the tadpoles grow depends on the water temperature.
Daily Life and Diet
Tadpoles likely eat algae and other tiny living things found on underwater surfaces. Scientists have not studied what adult toads eat very much. Arizona toads are active at night. During the day, they hide in burrows they dig in the sand.
Winter Sleep
From about September to February, these toads go into a deep sleep called torpor. They stay underground during this time.
Lifespan and Predators
Arizona toads can live for four or five years. The biggest danger to them is being eaten by other animals. Animals that eat Arizona toads include raccoons, a bird called the killdeer, and the wandering garter snake.
What Is the Arizona Toad's Status?
The number of Arizona toads is slowly going down. This is probably because people are changing their habitats. In some areas, like central Arizona, another toad called Woodhouse's toad (Anaxyrus woodhousii) is taking over their habitat.
One challenge for the Arizona toad is that it can sometimes breed with Woodhouse's toad. These two species live in similar places. Normally, they shouldn't breed together because they mate at different times of the year. However, male Arizona toads have sometimes been seen trying to mate with female Woodhouse's toads. Arizona toads have also tried to mate with other types of toads and frogs.
Even though its numbers are decreasing, the Arizona toad lives in a wide area. Scientists believe there are still many of them in total. It can also adapt to some changes in its habitat. Because of this, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says the Arizona toad is of "Least Concern". This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
See also
In Spanish: Anaxyrus microscaphus para niños
