Toad invasion! need ID's

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SnakeDude
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Joined: July 14th, 2011, 9:18 am
Location: Denver, CO

Toad invasion! need ID's

Post by SnakeDude »

We got a little rain this morning so I thought I'd go check out a lake near my house for tiger sallies but was instead attacked by a clan of hundreds of thousands of little toads about an inch long at the most. it was hard to step without crushing them, but there were so many I dont think it would have made a difference if a few where squished :roll: I'm thinking maybe Western Toad, or even red-spotted, but to tell you the truth I'm not a big toad guy...

sorry for the image quality in advance, my camera attempted suicide and jumped off my counter, so it's currently in the hospital and i have to use a lousy point and shoot :(

Image

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don't worry, they're only in the terrarium cause I'm keeping them for a brief photo shoot, and then they'll be released to go dare poor little animals to swallow em up :P
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thanks,
Ian
RobK

Re: Toad invasion! need ID's

Post by RobK »

Woodhouse's
Herpetologist115
Posts: 162
Joined: May 21st, 2012, 3:23 pm
Location: Utah County, Utah

Re: Toad invasion! need ID's

Post by Herpetologist115 »

Great Plains Toad Anaxyrus Cognatus lack of a dorsal stripe means it is most likely not a woodhouse. Unless, are there dorsal stripe-less ones I have yet to encounter?
SnakeDude
Posts: 417
Joined: July 14th, 2011, 9:18 am
Location: Denver, CO

Re: Toad invasion! need ID's

Post by SnakeDude »

Thanks for the replies. But no none of them have a dorsal stripe, which is what confused me...


Ian
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Cole Grover
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Location: Montana

Re: Toad invasion! need ID's

Post by Cole Grover »

Anaxyrus woodhousii is most likely - I'm with Rob. Those are NOT cognatus - they've got a different morphology and distinctly different blotches. Are they low-land toads, or from higher up? What sort of habitat? Any photos of the adult animals from the area? A. boreus toadlets can look similar to woodhousii, so I'm not ruling them out until I get more info.

-Cole
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Cole Grover
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Re: Toad invasion! need ID's

Post by Cole Grover »

Though these are adults, compare the blotch pattern of the woodhousii with the cognatus. The woodhousii have 1-3 warts, often reddish in color, per black-outlined blotch. The cognatus have large blotches.

Here's a washed-out woodhouseii:
Image

Here's a typical cognatus:
Image
SnakeDude
Posts: 417
Joined: July 14th, 2011, 9:18 am
Location: Denver, CO

Re: Toad invasion! need ID's

Post by SnakeDude »

Yep it definitely looks like a woodhouse's then cause they all have several small red blotches. I looked for any adults but all I could find were the hundreds of these little guys :? the only thing is that they have very distinct spots, and although your picture is of a washed out specimen, it still doesn't seem to have any remnants of dark spots, and yet the picture of the cognatus looks to have more of a greener hue than these have...

ian
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Cole Grover
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Location: Montana

Re: Toad invasion! need ID's

Post by Cole Grover »

SnakeDude wrote:it still doesn't seem to have any remnants of dark spots
It did in life - they were just washed out. The 1-3 warts per light-edged dark spot are a classic woodhousii trait.

-Cole
Matt Cage
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Location: Denver, CO

Re: Toad invasion! need ID's

Post by Matt Cage »

Not even a question. Woodhouse.
SnakeDude
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Joined: July 14th, 2011, 9:18 am
Location: Denver, CO

Re: Toad invasion! need ID's

Post by SnakeDude »

Thanks for the ID's guys. I had no clue woodhouse's where right in my back yard :shock:
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