That's about the size of the one I snapped a pic of the other night. 'Course mine was sitting a rock of the same color so he's virtually invisible =[. I know mine are toads though - got a good look at the zillions of eggs before they started to hatch, lol. Hubs *sigh* snagged a couple of dozen & put them in the [otherwise empty] aquarium so g-son could watch the transformation. Andddd..do you think hubs lowered the water level in the aquarium? Uh-uh, he just added a stack of rocks up to the top. I'm praying I don't come home from work one day soon & find my house invaded by toads!

BAD NEWS: The Giant Toad "...is probably the most widely introduced amphibian in the world. Agriculturalists released the Giant Toad (Bufo marinus) in attempts to control beetles that damage sugarcane, It readily adapts to backyard gardens and will accept food from fingertips. A milky secretion from the Giant Toad's parotoid glands is highly toxic; it will burn the eyes and may inflame the skin. A dog or cat that bites a Giant Toad will sicken and may die." The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians, page 393 GOOD NEWS: First of all, out of the 18 toad species that inhabit North America, only the Giant Toad is toxic to mammals. The other 17 species are completely harmless. Secondly, the range of the Giant Toad (Bufo marinus) is limited to the southern tip of Florida, extreme southern Texas, and Mexico. The two species that live in the mid-western States are the American Toad (Bufo americanus) and the Woodhouse's Toad (Bufo woodhousei), and they're beneficial to have around, particularly for gardeners. Thirdly, the Giant Toad is usually very easy to recognize due to its gigantic size. I lived in the Caribbean for two years and saw hundreds of them. I caught a granddaddy Giant Toad once and could hardly fit it into a wide mouth quart jar. You probably won't step on one without seeing it first. Hope this helps to ease your fears about toads. If you live in St. Louis, you should check with your agricultural agent, veterinarian or other knowledgeable authority to determine if Bufo marinus is inhabiting your area.

Your toad is a Woodhouse's toad, Bufo woodhousii. Very similar to the American toad, but Woodhouse's toads have more than 2 warts in some of the larger dark spots on their backs, whereas American toads only have one or two warts in their dark spots. The guys in the flower pots aren't very visible, but from what I can see they look like grey treefrogs, either Hyla chrysocelis or Hyla versicolor. Patrick Alexander

I ended up saving about 80 toads. As we were picking up to leave the job. I found about 8 medium sized toads. One was singing on the way home. That was a first for me. Sitting in the cab of my truck they would bury themselves in the sand in the bucket. I heard a chirping and one's head was poking from the sand with his throat puffed in a bubble going at it. I think he was thanking me. I will figure how to post pic and show some of my home toads. I have about four little ones, five medium males and at least one big female. Over the fourth of July. She was hanging out by my garbage cans and my guests and kids fed her a ton of Japanese beetles. They were blown away with feeding the toad. When it rains here I take a leisure walk through my yard and say hello when they come out.