Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Red-spotted Toad

On Saturday morning, I spotted a small toad swimming in our pool. O.P. came out with a scoop to rescue it and turn it loose in the desert. I took some photos, but the sun was in my eyes and I couldn't really see the little fellow very well. He was also moving pretty fast and I was concentrating on getting him reasonably in focus. I assumed that the toad was a Spadefoot, one of our most frequent patio visitors. When I saw the images on the computer, however, I found it was a toad I'd never seen before. It was pretty easy to identify, thanks to some great photos on the Internet. It was a Red-Spotted Toad (Bufo punctatus).

Red-Spotted Toads are small toads, about 2.5 to 3 inches in length. They are the only toads with round parotid glands that are the same size as their eyes. They are also the only North American toads that lay their eggs singly; all the others lay their eggs in strings.

10 comments:

beadlizard said...

Oh, how wonderful! Thank you for the neat photos and yet another informative post. --syl

T. Beth said...

What a little chubby guy! I love toad photos, they always have the most enigmatic expressions on their ugly/cute faces.

Endment said...

Great photos--- I have never seen one - t beth said it... enigmatic expressions on their ugly/cute faces.

Anonymous said...

What a splendid animal.

robin andrea said...

Yes, ugly/cute... a perfect description. Wonderful photos, pam. I love the toad in the pool. A rather dreamy moment.

Mary said...

he looks pretty big....I never know the difference between a toad and a frog!

Deb said...

Cool, what a find!

Lené Gary said...

What a cutie, Pam. I'm always surprised by the wildlife in your backyard.

Kerri said...

Great photos! He's a cute little chubby fella :)
Thanks for sharing him.

Anonymous said...

Ive found two toads in my yard I find them incredible little fellers. Dont let a pet get too close though! :] Also toads hop and frog usally crawl!