The Southern Toad (Anaxyrus terrestris) is a medium-sized true toad native to the southeastern United States. Its coloring is usually brown but can be red, gray, or black. It can be kept in a small 5-gallon aquarium lined with unfertilized potting soil, sand, or reptile substrate, as it is a burrowing species. It also needs somewhere to soak, commonly a small water-filled bowl deep enough for it to sit in. The Southern Toad is nocturnal, emerging from its ground burrow around twilight to forage for insects. It spends daylight hours sleeping in its burrow.
Ten Facts about Southern Toad
- The adult Southern Toad ranges in length from 1.75 to 4.5 inches.
- The southern toad is common to sandy areas, marshes, and mixed hardwood swamps.
- Voice sounds like a high-pitched, musical trill, piercing at close range.
- The Southern toad has glands on either side of its neck that hold a thick, white poison meant to harm or kill any predators.
- It feeds on insects, spiders, and other small bugs.
- These animals do not mind being near people; they seem to prefer the lights of suburbs to help attract insects to eat.
- female Southern will lay up to 3,000 eggs in the warm summer months in shallow pools of standing water after heavy rains.
- Eggs usually hatch within a few days, but the tadpoles take up to 2 months to develop into young Southern toads.
- Predators include skunks, raccoons, snakes.
- Can live 3 years.
