Western Toad
Source: U. S.
Geological Survey/photo by Chris Brown
Scientific Name: Bufo boreas
Family: Bufonidae
Size: Approximately 2 to 5 inches.
Description: The western toad is a large toad species with a gray to green dorsum (surface of its back), a white to yellow-colored stripe that runs its length, and black blotches.
Diet: Adult western toads eat terrestrial insects, small arthropods and occasionally earthworms and gastropods (such as snails and slugs). Tadpoles ingest plant materials and aquatic organisms.
Habitat: The western toad lives under logs, in rodent holes, and large rocks, and they may burrow in loose soil. The western toad is common to many California habitats, except densely forested areas and high elevations. In GGNRA, this frog species may inhabit the Presido.
Status: This species is not listed as a special status species.
Interesting Information: Adults secrete a noxious substance, which may protect them from some predators.
References:
California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System. California Department of Fish and Game.
National
Audubon Society. 1998. Field Guide to California. Peter Alden et al.
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
U.S.Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center
