Texas toad facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Texas Toad |
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B. speciosus
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| Bufo speciosus Girard, 1854
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Anaxyrus speciosus |
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The Texas toad (Bufo speciosus) is a small toad that lives in the United States and Mexico. These toads are quite tiny, usually growing to about three inches long. They are often found in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico in the U.S., and also in parts of Mexico.
Contents
About the Texas Toad
The Texas toad is a type of amphibian, which means it can live both on land and in water. Like all toads, it has dry, bumpy skin, unlike frogs which usually have smooth, moist skin. These toads are well-suited to living in dry areas.
What Does It Look Like?
Texas toads are usually grayish-brown or olive-green. They have dark spots on their backs and a light stripe down the middle of their back. Their skin helps them blend in with their surroundings, like dirt and rocks, which keeps them safe from predators.
Where Do They Live?
Texas toads prefer areas with sandy or loose soil, which makes it easy for them to burrow. They are often found in grasslands, savannas, and even some desert areas. They need access to water for breeding, so you might find them near temporary ponds, ditches, or slow-moving streams after it rains.
Life Cycle and Habits
Texas toads are mostly active at night, especially after rainfall. During the day, they often hide in burrows they dig themselves or in cracks in the ground to stay cool and moist.
How Do They Reproduce?
When it rains, especially in spring and summer, Texas toads come out to breed. The males make a loud, trilling call to attract females. Females lay their eggs in long strings in shallow water. These eggs hatch into tiny tadpoles, which are aquatic (live in water).
From Tadpole to Toad
The tadpoles eat algae and other small bits of plant material in the water. They grow quickly, and after a few weeks, they start to change. They develop legs, their tails shrink, and their gills turn into lungs. Once they are fully developed into small toads, they leave the water and begin their life on land.
What Do They Eat?
Texas toads are insectivores, meaning they eat insects. They mostly eat small invertebrates like ants, beetles, and other bugs they can catch with their sticky tongues. They are important for controlling insect populations in their habitats.
Conservation Status
The Texas toad is currently listed as a species of "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This means that their populations are stable and they are not considered to be at high risk of extinction right now. However, like many amphibians, their habitats can be threatened by human activities and changes in the environment.
Images for kids
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The Texas Toad, lateral view.
See also
In Spanish: Sapo de Texas para niños
