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Fowler's Toad
Anaxyrus fowleri
Fowler's Toad is a stout, warty amphibian native to North America's sandy dunes and woodlands. It thrives in well-ventilated, deep sandy substrates and is known for its short, unmusical wail.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Bufonidae
Genus:Anaxyrus
Species:Anaxyrus fowleri
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
40 - 60 %
Day temperature
22 - 26 °C
Night temperature
16 - 20 °C
Ambient temperature
22 - 26 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Distributed across eastern and central North America, from southern Canada down to the Gulf Coast of the United States. Fowler's Toad prefers open woodlands, sandy dune areas, river valleys, and coastal beaches where it can easily burrow into loose soil.
Taxonomy and Genetics: A member of the Bufonidae family, historically classified as Bufo fowleri. It is closely related to the American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus), with which it occasionally hybridizes. It can be distinguished by having three or more warts inside each dark dorsal spot, and a white, unspotted belly.
Behavior and Habits: Largely nocturnal, spending the day buried in sand or loose soil to avoid heat. At night, they emerge to forage, walking and hopping along the substrate. Males call during late spring and summer nights with a distinctive, nasal, sheep-like bleat.
Morphology: Reaches a length of 5 to 9 cm. Females are noticeably larger and wider than males. Males are smaller, more slender, develop a dark throat during the breeding season, and have dark nuptial pads on their thumbs to assist in amplexus.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Requires a horizontal, terrestrial enclosure (minimum 60x45x30 cm). The substrate should be deep (10-15 cm) and composed of soft sand, organic soil, and peat moss to allow natural burrowing. Provide half-buried clay pots or cork bark hides, and a very shallow water dish.
Lighting and Heating: Adapted to temperate climates. Keep daytime temperatures between 22 and 26°C. They suffer from high heat, so temperatures should not exceed 28°C. A nighttime drop to 16-20°C is required. Provide a 5% UVB light source for calcium metabolism. In winter, they require a cold brumation period.
Humidity and Hydration: Prefers moderate to low humidity levels (40-50%). The enclosure must be well-ventilated with screen mesh tops to prevent stagnant, humid air, which causes red leg syndrome. Use declorinated water for misting the substrate and filling the water dish.
Feeding and Supplementation: Voracious insectivores with large appetites. They feed on crickets, roaches, and earthworms. Avoid feeding them directly on loose sand to prevent impaction; use a feeding bowl. Dust prey with calcium and D3 supplements twice a week.
Compatibility: Peaceful and gregarious. They can be kept in small groups of similar size. Avoid housing them with significantly smaller toads or other species, as they will attempt to consume anything that moves and fits in their mouth.
Health and Common Diseases: They possess parotoid glands behind their eyes that secrete toxic bufotoxins, which are harmful if ingested by household pets. Wash hands thoroughly after handling. High hygiene is required, as their large waste production can cause bacterial infections.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Distributed across eastern and central North America, from southern Canada down to the Gulf Coast of the United States. Fowler's Toad prefers open woodlands, sandy dune areas, river valleys, and coastal beaches where it can easily burrow into loose soil.
Origin
Selective breeding and cultivarsNorth America
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 9.5 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Toxicity
- No verified data available
- Life stage
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 9.5 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 9.5 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
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Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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