I don't know, but he sure is cute. Bet your mosquito population is low too.

Ginny

I like all toads, even Bufos. They are terrific insect eaters.

As long as you don't have little dogs that are foolish enough to mess with them, I see no reason to harm any toads, ever. But I know some people freak out at the sight of any frog/toad, thinking they are deadly poisionous. They *can* be toxic to dogs if mouthed/eaten, but they certainly do not go after dogs. Bufos supposedly make good pets for children!

We have lots of them here, and welcome them. None of my dogs bother them.

Lisa

yours looks like a native southern toad often mistaken for the non-native Bufo toad (looks like yours has ridges on top of head).
The Bufo apparently eats a lot of natives including other toads and can be poisonous to inquisitve dogs and cats.
I remember my dog foaming at the mouth (non-fatally) when "playing" with a Bufo 40 years ago. The frog lived to hop away.

Here is a link that might be useful: visual differences between southern and bufo toads

I'm guessing that it is a native toad, too, Anna. Just FYI, both would be Bufo's. The native is Bufo terrestris, and the Giant or Cane toad is Bufo marinus, so it can confuse people if you refer to the non-native simply as a Bufo toad. One Bufo is good to have here and should never be killed, one is not so much so.

Hoping we are right and your little guy is Bufo terrestris!

Marcia

Anna, wondering if you have heard your toad (or do just frogs sing?) so you could track it down on a web frog song site.

Toads sing...a LOT! Some of the coolest noises ever. Good idea, Irma. She may be able to identify the most common toads in her yard by listening to their calls.

Marcia

Denise, thanks for that nice link. I think it is the southern toad. The size and the ridges on the head are the same, and the shape looks the same. I am glad to know it is a native. There are so many of them I hated to think they were bad guys.

Irma, good idea. I did hear the sound from Denise's link and it sounds like the same shrill call. After a rain it is deafening. Then the next day I find little stringy eggs in the pond.

Lisa, my dog doesn't seem to bother the toads either. She is much more interested in chasing squirrels and big Blue Herons! She is the guardian of the pond and sleeps by the window all day looking for big birds that come to eat the fish. She goes crazy when there is a visitor and I let her out to chase the herons away. She barks all the way she is running toward them to give them plenty of time to fly away. She would never ever get too close to them, but she loves the chase. She returns very proud of herself.

Ginny, you would think I wouldn't have one single mosquito, but they are really bad around here. Maybe these toads don't feed on them too much?

Marcia, it sounds like the Bufo marinus is quite a big bigger than my guys. The other characteristics match for the bufo terrestris toad, so I'm sticking with that. Thanks.

Anna

Anna,I just saw a Bufo terestris just sitting on the back porch. We have them bouncing around and playing in the pond.
Several weeks ago We saw three piggy back. What a funny sight.
Tad poles are in the brook and pond. At night it is an orchestra. I also love their songs.
Felix

Aaaaah...those "piggy-back" toads are filling your pond with tadpoles, Felix! YAY!! Sounds like a healthy pond to me. How is your big, blue waterlily doing?

Anna, the Bufo marinus gets HUGE. If you see one of those around, you would probably want to get rid of it immediately, as even licking it or maybe just sniffing it can kill dogs or cats. Since it is not a native, it won't hurt to eliminate it. But, HOPEFULLY, all of your guys are terrestris and should be welcome additions to your pond life.

Marcia

Typically the southern toad is distinguished by its call, which contains a certain amount of drawl, and ends with a light, but audible, 'ya'll'.

Ribbitt.

That really IS the best way to ID them, Gary! Well, that and the fact that they are often seen relaxing on the verandah, eating fried chidken and sipping iced tea!

Marcia

I became more reconciled (don't like doing it, but follow the recommended method) about killing the marine toad after hitting this U of FL site which states they're omniverous and (like CTF) eat small toads, frogs, lizards, small mammals and snakes, over and above having the ability to kill curious dogs and cats. The one good thing about Marine Toads is that I truly suspect they kill small CTF's, but if they're equally destructive to natives that eliminates their one possible attribute.

The Marine Toad that nailed my dog (who survived) was a small one who had made it onto our screened back porch. I haven't killed any small toads, initially because they were too darned fast, then because Marcia alerted me to making really sure I didn't kill a native bufo toad.

Once the Marine Toad is more mature, there is no mistaking the huge ugly glands that secrete poison that run down their sides, originating at "cheek" level.

I don't see that gland on your "cute guys" Anna.

By the way, for pet lovers: our local vets do not recommend treating exposure the same way that the U FL website does (hose their mouth while keeping the pet's head down). Locals suggest wetting towels and swabbing the foam continuously so that your beloved 4 legged friend doesn't injest any of the poison. It worked for us. Hope you never have to experience it: it is positively frightful.

Marilyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Marine Toad Info

Hi
I have these little devils every where lol I built my water garden above ground in the hopes of keeping them out.
That worked !!! I have removed as much as 3 pounds of eggs
from one night of spawning .lol They have spawned so heavily they caused the whole pong to turn into a stincking mess lol
I've wondered if the marinus will hybridize with the native toads?? They seem a lot smaller to me than they used to be and the color patterns seem different.
Was recently reading an interesting article that the Burmese python has actually become established in the everglades. Can't wait to have some 25 foot 200 pond snakes in the backyard lol keep those pesky kids in line??? gary

and sadly lost my chihuahua to a toad's poison.

He wasn't the smartest, mind you, my dog, his mom was also with him when this happened and she decided not to go bother the toad. However, her son went for it and paid with his life.

I remember to this day( I was 10 or so) his paralyzed body and his eyes still looking at me and at that point he was gone. There was a vet living in the neighborhood and he did all he could but he was just such a small dog.

Man, that was over 30 years ago and I remember it like yesterday, I'm getting all teary eyed thinking of it all.

Oh,well, I did learn here what to do if we get another dog and this happens! thanks ! teeka

Oh, Teeka,

I'm so sorry you lost your beloved puppy to that horrid creature. Little curious dogs and cats (the ones we love the most, right?) are the animals most at risk to the Marine toad.

Gary, your posts always manage to intrigue. I installed, then removed a small water pond because it drew more Marine Toads to my yard. (I hate that "tractor" sound, knowing they're out there period, much less out there prepared to kill.) After removing the pond, I heard solos and duets, but the number of marine toads definitely deminished.

About a year later, the neighbors installed a water pond. The toads came back in full force. Good neighbors that they are, they removed it four months later. Again, the Marine toad population dropped significantly.

I never thought of building a pond up high. How high did you build it? And the putrid egg spawning occured before you raised your pond, or after? Even Marine Frog eggs can kill koi!

Regarding Marine Toad hybridization, I had similar thoughts about anoles cross breeding this evening. I saw a male anole that looked like a green/brown combo. Hopefully it was a mature male green anole!

Maybe pythons will move into S, Fla (my girlfriend found one in her garage last year), eat Marine Toads and CTF's and die - a fairy tale ending ... we'll all live happily ever after.

Marilyn

Marilyn
I used stacked 4x4's up to about 18 inches above ground
Dug out the the interior so the total water depth is around a yard. Lined it with a fiberglass tarp. my thought was that it would keep the toads ,turtles. It makes a nice place to sit while feeding the fish and provides a place to set pots It has kept out the softshell turtles but the toads don't even slow down lol. Often get raccoons which knock all the pots into the water once in a while.lol
I was never able to keep goldfish or Koi due to Herons they find fish delicious lol. Keep tropical fish which still feed the birds but breed faster than they can eat . I use it for my water lily and several other water plants.
I also like it for the dragonflies. my favorite invert lol. So beautiful in a subtle way unlike gaudy butterflies lol. Besides any thing that eats mosquitoes is wonderful.
Of course the nymphs eat a share of the fish also.
Two years ago I moved a 150 gallon aquarium out to the shadehouse to grow submerged tropicals and more exotic types of fish. This was my reef aquarium until the power failures so gave up the marine hobby . I'm too pooor for that hobby.lol I'm using it to grow Madagascar lace plants
and several species of amazon sword plants. With wonderful results so far. I want to raise discus fish but at 25 bucks each they are NOT Heron fodder lol gary

Naplesgardener - That was a great site to help with id ing frogs and toads. Do you know of any that also show some of them when they are babies? I'm sad to say most of my photos show big toe pads, so guess they are CTF's, but as I squashed and cringed today, I thought perhaps I ought to check out some 'baby photos'..

The cane toad scare me most of all, because my 12lb Koda, would go after one for sure. He has already killed a mole and a black snake, by shaking them and breaking their necks. He thinks he is 150lb killer.

Aww... I like him. We have lots of baby frogs and tree frogs in our yard.

All my toads and southern tree frogs were eaten by the cubans. I'm sad. :( I still have their little "toad abodes" in case they ever come back, but I'm seeing not much chance of that.