Just a little larger than a quarter, the Oak Toad [Anaxyrus quercicus] is the smallest species of toad in North America. The largest of these toads grow no larger than 1.30 inches! They’re a common sight from Louisiana to Virginia. Males are smaller than females, with white bellies as opposed to speckled, and are capable of breeding at just a few months of age.
Not all toads exhibit obvious sexual dimorphism, but when it comes to breeding Yosemite toads [Anaxyrus canorus, formerly Bufo canorus] don’t have time to waste with uncertainty. Females have significantly darker patterning than males, a trait that helps the two identify each other during the brief period of summer snow melt in which they can reproduce. Images by Californiaherps.com and Wikipedia Commons.
Harlequin toads are interesting in that, aside from being beautiful, they often display a variety of behaviors not seen in other species of true toad. For example, males of the species Atelopus spumarius [Pebas stubfoot toad] are quite territorial and will undergo elaborate rituals in order to dispel intruders. As the uploader Daniela Rößler
writes:
Two males of neighboring territories in a Atelopus spumarius sensu lato population (without red feet) in the state of Amapá, Brazil, filmed fighting. In the beginning the yellow individual vocalizes a typical distress call, whereas the whitish-blue individual vocalizes a territoriality call. This was an intruder experiment, the white male was put in the territory of the yellow male. The video shows fighting behavior, vocalizations and underlines the strong territoriality of these toads.
Hundreds of thousands of California western toads [Anaxyrus boreas halophilus], using their freshly grown arms and legs to swarm the banks of a shallow pool. A pair of these toads can produce over 15,000 fertile eggs in a single day, and they rely on sheer numbers to ensure the next generation of toads will make it to the breeding pond. Video by Alan King.
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