AmericanToad


 * American Toad**



Pictures taken by Darin Blum on September 25th in the prairie behind Ames High School located at 1921 Ames High Dr. in Ames, IA.

(1)Kingdom:	Animalia Phylum:	Chordata Class:	Amphibia Order:	Anura Family:	Bufonidae Genus:	Bufo Species:	B. americanus

(1) The Binomial name for the American toad is Bufo americanu, it was founded and named in 1836 by John Edwards Holbrook, a physician from South Carolina.

**Tadpoles**

(1)The American Toad's beginning stage is known as the tadpole stage. They are laid in strings and the eggs average a hatch from 3-12 days from being laid. When the eggs hatch and a tadpole is realized, they begin with a very skinny tail in relation to their bodies. The tadpoles then begin the stage to adulthood which is usually a process of about 30-40 days until full grown. The life of a tadpole for its first 30 days is usually spent in water, but as soon as the transformation to a toad is through the Amphibian is for the most part land based. When full grown the average length of an American toad is anywhere from two to a little over two an a half inches long.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:B_americanus_range23.gif **Characteristics** (3)The color of an American toad can vary but usually has a very unique pattern to it they usually contain browns, greens, shades of reds and some grays with a white or yellow belly., the toads have many spots throughout the body. For the toads early development it requires a pond or pool. (2)Usually one or two large warts in each dark spot, also has enlarged warts on lower legs.

**Location**

(1)The American toad is locates as far West as the center point of Oklahoma and south into Louisiana, it then travels North into Canada and everything in between. They can live almost everywhere in these areas from backyards to forest, they also enjoy spending time in gardens and fields. During the day and as the sun comes out they cover under porches, boardwalks, stones, logs, or anything else for a covering. They are easy to find and very easy to catch as well. Many will catch and keep as a short term pet. When winter comes along with its cold weather the toads dig back into the ground and to hibernate the season away.

(2)The diet of the American Toad contains many small insects and small earthworms.
 * Diet**

(3) Breeding usually takes place in the months of March or April but sometimes can extend into July. It's triggered by warmer temperatures and longer daytimes. The males find a spot and begin their callings for a female, a female will then choose their mate by the males' breeding calls as well as the quality of the defended breeding territory. After the mating the females lay their eggs in the water. They are laid in long spiral jelly-like tubes. They lay anywhere from 4,000-8,000 eggs in two rows. the rows can measure between 20 to 66 feet. The eggs mature fastest at high temperatures. as mentioned above they usually hatch in 3 to 12 days and develop from a tadpole to a toad in 30-40 days. This step is usually takes during the months of June, July, and August.
 * Reproduction**



__References/Links:__ (1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_toad (2) http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/herpdist/species/bu_america.html (3) http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bufo_americanus.html