CLASSIFICATION
CLASSIFICATION
Toads are squat and plump with rough warty skin. They have horizontal pupils, no teeth on the upper jaw, and lack an anterior breastbone. Enlarged parotid glands are located on each side of the neck over or behind the tympanum (external ears), in B. marinus they extend down the sides of the body.
Toads are found across the world, and can inhabit more arid biomes than frogs because of their drier skin. It is probably the most widely introduced amphibian in the world.
Various humid sites with adequate hiding places.
Bufo marinus is primarily nocturnal, and as they can reach up to 10 inches, will eat anything that they can fit into their mouth including small birds and mammals.
Bufo breeds year round with suitable temperatures and rainfall. Males congregate at the breeding ponds and sing in order to attract females. Males clasp the willing females around the body behind the forelimbs. Males have a rudimentary ovary that can become functional if the testes is damaged or removed. Eggs are usually laid in strings in long standing water such as ditches, canals or fishponds; they hatch into tiny black tadpoles which metamorphose week later.
Agriculturalists released this toad in attempts to control the beetles that damage sugarcane. The milky secretion from this toad's parotid glands is highly toxic; it will burn the eyes and may inflame the skin. The poison inflames the mouth and throat and may cause nausea. Dogs or cats that bite the Giant toad will sicken and may even die.
Behler, John and F. Wayne King. National Audubon Society: Filed Guide to
North American Reptiles and Amphibians (1994)