The California Toad is large and robust with dry, warty skin. It is slow moving, often getting about by walking or crawling instead of hopping.
This species is generally nocturnal except in the Spring, when it is also active during the daytime. Here’s a small one that I found by a reservoir yesterday.
Toads eat spiders, insects, slugs and worms. Their prey is located by vision, afterwards the toad lunges with its large, sticky tongue to catch its food and bring it into its mouth.
The California Toad inhabits a variety of habitats, including marshes, springs, creeks, small lakes, meadows and woodlands. These amphibians spend much of their time underground. Although they are avid diggers, they generally use small mammal burrows or crevices under logs and rocks.
These are one of the larger types of toads native to the United States. I did some herping with Sarah and Connie over the weekend. And Sarah found that they can be quite a handful.
Connie agreed with this assessment.
