Western Toad © E. R. Degginger/Color-Pic, Inc.

Frogs and Toads

Description 2 1/2-5" (6.4-12.8 cm). Large; lacks cranial crests but has oval parotoid glands. Gray to green, with light-colored stripe down middle of back. Warts tinged with red and surrounded by black blotches. Male has pale throat.

Warning Toads have enlarged glands (called the paratoid glands) on the side of the neck, one behind each eye. These glands secrete a viscous white poison that gets smeared in the mouth of any would-be predator, inflaming the mouth and throat and causing nausea, irregular heart beat, and, in extreme cases, death. Toads pose a danger to pets, which may pounce on and bite them. Humans should take care to wash their hands after handling a toad, and to avoid touching the mouth or eyes until having done so.

Subspecies Boreal (B. b. boreas), dark blotches on belly; se. Alaska south through the Rocky Mountains to c. Colorado, and south into n. California in the West.
California (B. b halophilus), with fewer dark blotches on belly, and wide head; nc. California south into n. Baja California.
Amargosa (B. b nelsoni), with narrow head, and fewer warts; Nye and Lincoln counties, Nevada.

Voice Like the weak peeping of baby chicks. No vocal sacs.

Breeding January to September, depending on weather. Egg strings are attached to vegetation in shallow, usually still water.

Habitat Near springs, streams, meadows, woodlands.

Range Pacific Coast from s. Alaska to Baja California, east to wc. Alberta, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Nevada.

Discussion Active at twilight. At higher elevations, where nighttime temperatures are low, it is often active during the day. It lives in burrows of its own construction or those of small rodents.