The eastern narrow-mouthed toad is not a true toad at all, but a species of microhylid frog. They’re called toads simply due to their terrestrial (spend most or all of their life on the ground) lifestyle. These amphibians face the threats of habitat loss and fragmentation at the hands of agricultural, residential, and commercial developments. Another threat is to their larvae and it comes in the form of chemical pollution and contamination due to the leaching of heavy metals into the water column. These heavy metals, like copper, can be lethal to their tadpoles. Roads and railroads not only divide their territory, but also result in vehicle strike (being hit by vehicles). Due to these issues these frogs are listed as endangered in Maryland and threatened in Illinois and Kansas. However, they are abundant enough to be listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Their population trend is listed as stable at this time.
First the Stats…
Scientific name: Gastrophryne carolinensis
Weight: Up to .18 ounce
Length: Up to 2.1 inches
Lifespan: Up to 15 years
Now on to the Facts!
1.) They are found in the eastern United States, from southern Maryland down to the Florida Keys, and west to Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas.
2.) These frogs are but 1 of only 3 species of mycrohylids that dwell in the United States.
3.) To protect themselves from bites and stings from the ants they eat, these frogs have evolved very tough, yet smooth, skin.
4.) Immediately behind their eyes and resting on their neck, is an obvious skin fold that has, like their body’s skin, evolved for eye protection from ant bites and stings while feeding.
5.) The heels on their back feet have 1 “spade” or tubercle used for digging; seeing as they are heavily fossorial (spend most of their lives underground).
But wait, there’s more on the eastern narrow-mouthed toad!
6.) Their call is said to sound like that of a bleating sheep or an electric buzzer and is very similar to the Fowler’s toad.
7.) They can tolerate a wide range of habitats from the borders of swamps, to bottomland hardwoods, live-oak ridges, pine-oak uplands, coastal secondary dune scrub forests, woodlands, pinelands, and more.
Did you know…?
Adults are able to produce a noxious chemical that wards off most, if not all, predators. A violent burning sensation is caused if their poison comes into contact with the eyes, nose, or the lining of the throat and mouth.
8.) Females lay up to 800 tiny, marble colored eggs on the water’s surface, on top of floating vegetation and/or debris. The eggs hatch in up to 3 days.
9.) The tadpoles metamorphose into adult frogs in up to 67 days.
10.) Like so many other species of frogs and toads, they are strictly nocturnal (active at night).
But wait, there’s still more on the eastern narrow-mouthed toad!
11.) These frogs feed primarily on various ant species with the balance of their diet consisting of mites, termites, small beetles, and other various arthropods.
12.) As tadpoles they are preyed on by fish and salamanders. Adults only have to fear the occasional garter snake or bird that wishes to test its luck.
13.) These frogs have been around since the Miocene Epoch (approximately 23 million years ago).
14.) While heavily hypothesized, it’s not yet definitively proven, that these frogs get their poison from their diet. Scientists suspect these frogs, which are an avid consumer of ants, sequester their noxious compounds—just as poison dart frogs do.
Now a Short Eastern Narrow-Mouthed Toad Video!
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Some source material acquired from: Wikipedia & IUCN
