The Tarahumara Frog is not doing well in the state. They are considered extinct in Arizona but there has been attempts to re-introduce them to the wild. The Canyon Tree Frog has rough skin and no stripes through its eyes. They are found along boulders and rocks above streams.
The Lowland Burrowing Tree Frog is different than most other tree frogs in that it spends its time underground instead of in the trees. They are known for their large, flat head. The Barking Frog is the one species of its family in the state. It has tubercles on its feet and a skin fold on the back of the head. The True Toads are the typical toads that you know.
They have warts along their back and parotoid glands behind their eyes. The Green Toad lacks a cranial crest and has no stripe down middle of the back. They also have elongated parotoid gland.
The African Clawed Frog might be spreading diseases to native frog species. In the state of Arizona, it is illegal to be in possession of one without a permit. Rio Grande Leopard Frog was probably introduced to the state in the 70s or 60s. The frogs could cause problems with native species by competing for food. View all posts by Adam. Skip to content September 26, October 1, Adam. I tried, off and on, for the last 15 years, but I never seemed to be there at exactly the right time and place.
I reached the first set of ponds on the northern edge of my search area. I stopped the truck, turned off the engine and listened. Dead silence! I got out and searched the pond edges for movement. I got in the truck and went down the road to look for more possible breeding ponds.
Ancient mesquite trees grew in the high burm surrounding the cattle tank at the next location. The tank, only a puddle a few days earlier, was more than feet across from the rainwater flowing into it. In order to access the tank, I walked several yards from the cattle enclosure and through a thicket of skin-cutting mesquite. While I crawled under a large tree I spotted my first quarry: a Sonoran Desert toad.
The Sonoran Desert toad Bufo alvarius weighs in at little more than 2 pounds and is 8 inches long. It is the largest toad native to the United States. I most often find these huge toads lumbering around looking for mates or food. I can imagine that to other frogs and toads in and around the ponds Bufo alvarius aka the Colorado River toad must look like a T-rex.
These toads are voracious eaters and consume almost anything they can get into their mouths, including other toads, tarantulas, snakes, scorpions, mice and insects.
With six other morsel-sized amphibians in the vicinity, monsoon season must seem like a virtual smorgasbord to a Sonoran Desert toad. Although I have known Sonoran Desert toads to breed in permanent ponds before the monsoon rains start, they are most active after the first rains in July. They call from the banks of small ponds and grab females as they happen by. When these toads are in full-breeding swing I have seen 10 or more pairs in amplexus and several females carrying bulky males on their backs while looking for water.
Compared to other serenading amphibians, Sonoran Desert toads have quiet voices for their size, probably limited by their small vocal sacs. Their paratoid glands ooze large amounts of white poison when they are disturbed too much. A friend of mine believes that one of his Labrador retrievers died as a result of swallowing one of these toxic critters. Rumor has it that Sonoran Desert toad poison has been used as a strong hallucinogen, so wash your hands after handling one.
At the same pond, I found another early arrival, the Great Plains toad B. This toad is big, brown and not very attractive. Great Plains toads are the second largest amphibian at the ponds the largest females are 4 inches. They are insectivores and not dangerous to other pond anurans. Great Plains toads Bufo cognatus have the largest geographical distribution of all the desert toads. The unmistakable, high-pitched eeeeeeeee of the these toads can be heard for considerable distances, and a single call may last up to one minute or more.
Great Plains toads have the largest geographical distribution of all the desert toads. Quite remarkably, they have evolved to live in Alberta, Canada, where the winter temperatures can drop to minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and in the water-poor, creosote-bush-dominated desert of Arizona, where temperatures seldom drop below freezing.
In the desert ponds, the Great Plains and Sonoran Desert toads are the first in and last out. Both can be found breeding before the first rainfall in June and well into September. Somewhere in the darkness, I heard the faint call of the western narrowmouth toad Gastrophryne olivacea.
I decided to go look for it, and on the way I almost stepped on a Mojave rattlesnake Crotalus scutulatus. These rattlesnakes are very venomous and well camouflaged. I promised myself not to come out here alone again! Western narrowmouth toads normally appear the first or second night after the first hard rain.
Because of their small size and secretive nature, I always have difficulty finding them. Unlike most toads, the skin of western narrowmouths appears to be moist with no obvious warts. Both narrowmouths and spadefoots cause me to react strongly when I handle them.
I sneeze and my eyes water. Upon exiting the pond, I removed my tennis shoes, draining them of water and mud. I was frustrated at only having seen three of the seven amphibian species. I ate a granola bar, took a drink of water and started for where I thought I left my truck. On my way, I saw several Sonoran Desert toads near a large wash, so I decided to walk along it for a while. Indeed, several of these amphibians are only found in some of the most arid parts of the deserts that make up much of Arizona.
Many of our amphibians have suffered serious population declines and some, such as the Chiricahua leopard frog and Sonoran tiger salamander, are protected under the Endangered Species Act. In addition to the 25 species of native amphibians, Arizona has become home to four types of exotic amphibians: bullfrogs, Rio Grande leopard frogs, African clawed frogs and barred tiger salamanders. Bullfrogs have become so numerous and widespread that they are now seriously threatening native aquatic wildlife populations, particularly amphibians and reptiles.
But, some of the most astonishing adaptations to desert life are exhibited by a number of frogs and toads that live much of their lives buried underground, only to emerge briefly to breed and grow during the summer rains.
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