About Anaxyrus fowleri (Hinckley, 1882)
Anaxyrus fowleri, commonly known as Fowler's toad, typically comes in brown, grey, olive green, and rust red colors, with dark warty spots across its body. A pale stripe running down the back indicates the toad is an adult. Its belly is usually solid whitish, with the exception of one single dark spot. Overall, male Fowler's toads tend to be darker in color than females. Adult Fowler's toads have a typical head-body length ranging from 5 to 9.5 cm (2.0 to 3.7 in). The tadpole of this species is oval-shaped with a long tail and both upper and lower fins, and measures 1 to 1.4 cm (0.39 to 0.55 in) long when in this life stage. The native geographic range of Fowler's toad is eastern North America. It extends across most of the southeastern and eastern United States, and into parts of southeastern Canada. Fowler's toad lives near temporary or permanent wetlands, as well as in forested areas. Specifically, it can be found in open woodlands, sand prairies, meadows, and beaches. During hot, dry periods and throughout the winter, it burrows into the ground. It is often found hiding beneath broad-leaved plants, within clumps of grass, and inside or under logs. Its emergence in spring is linked to higher temperatures, relatively low rainfall or wind, and a gibbous moon. Fowler's toad reproduces during the warmer seasons of the year, most commonly in May and June. It breeds in open, shallow bodies of water including ponds, lakeshores, and marshes. Males produce a mating call that attracts both females and other males. A calling male may attempt to mate with another male, and the approached male will give a chirping "release call" to signal the mistake. A male Fowler's toad's mating call is influenced by the caller's body size and temperature. Females can distinguish between different call variations and choose the largest available males. Males can adjust their calls through thermoregulation to appear more attractive to females. Once a male pairs with a female, the pair engages in amplexus, and between 7,000 and 10,000 eggs are fertilized. The eggs hatch between 2 and 7 days after fertilization. Observations show that Fowler's toads breed repeatedly throughout spring. In one small pond, as many as 10 distinct age classes of tadpoles, separated by several days of development, have been recorded over a single breeding season. A new tadpole can reach sexual maturity in one season, but this process may take as long as three years. Fowler's toad regularly hybridizes with two of its close relatives: the American toad and the Woodhouse's toad. It is possible that the Woodhouse's toad subspecies Anaxyrus woodhousii velatus, also called the East Texas toad, is a hybrid between the Woodhouse's toad and the Fowler's toad.
