Description: The American Toad is the most widespread toad species found in the United States. Measuring up to three inches in length, the American Toad is greenish, brownish, or olive in coloration, with short legs and thick skin covered with yellowish or brownish warts. The color of the toad changes depending on temperature, humidity and stress levels. The underparts are whitish or yellowish. Males can be distinguished from females by their darker throats and their smaller size. The skin of the American Toad produces secretions that prove toxic to predators and possibly beneficial to the study of medicine. They hibernate during the winter.

Habitat/Range: The American Toad is found throughout most of eastern Canada and the United States, except for potions of the deep south. They prefer areas with permanent water sources such as ponds or marshes, but can also be found in gardens, lawns, grasslands, and areas with dense vegetation. During the day, they often hide in wood piles, under porches, or in the woods.

Diet: American Toads are prodigious consumers of insects. They also east earthworms, slugs and other invertebrates. The American Toad uses its long, sticky tongue to snatch prey. American Toads can consume up to 1,000 insects per day. Its diet makes it beneficial to farmers and gardeners trying to eliminate harmful insects. Interestingly, toad tadpoles are purely herbivorous.

Reproduction: Toads breed in March or April. Females choose their mates based on the quality of their breeding call and their territory. Female toads lay between 4,000 and 8,000 eggs in a raft of jelly on the surface of the water. The eggs are positioned in two parallel lines that can extend to 60 feet in length. The eggs hatch in 3-12 days. The tadpoles develop into toads within 70 days, but sometimes within 40 days. Most toads will only live a year or two in the wild as many die as tadpoles and others are consumed by predators such as snakes.