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Cuban Toad
Peltophryne peltocephala
The Cuban Giant Toad is a colossal terrestrial species featuring prominent ossified cranial crests. Solitary and nocturnal, this voracious predator requires large enclosures with deep, damp soil.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Anura
Family:Bufonidae
Genus:Peltophryne
Species:Peltophryne peltocephala
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
60 - 80 %
Day temperature
24 - 26 °C
Night temperature
22 °C
Ambient temperature
24 - 26 °C
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Endemic to Cuba and nearby islands. They inhabit dry tropical forests, coastal shrublands, grasslands, and agricultural fields, sheltering in deep soil burrows or under rocks.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belonging to the family Bufonidae. Commonly known as the Cuban Giant Toad or Cuban Crested Toad. Its skull features prominent bony, ossified crests characteristic of the genus Peltophryne.
Behavior and Habits: Strictly nocturnal and terrestrial. They spend daylight hours hiding in subterranean cavities. They are slow-moving, voracious predators that wait for insects to pass by before striking.
Morphology: Can reach 13–15 cm in length. Females are much larger and broader than males. Breeding males develop nuptial pads on their thumbs and emit loud vocal calls.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: A large horizontal enclosure (minimum 80x45x45 cm for an adult) is required. Provide a deep, damp burrowing substrate of soil and coco fiber, topped with leaf litter. Furnish with large cork bark tubes, ceramic hides, and a wide, shallow water bowl.
Lighting and Heating: Keep daytime temperatures at 24–26°C, dropping to 20–22°C at night. Avoid temperatures exceeding 29°C. A 2–5% UVB source is highly recommended for bone development.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain relative humidity between 60% and 80%. Mist the enclosure daily with dechlorinated water. The shallow water dish must be cleaned daily, as they absorb water through their skin.
Feeding and Supplementation: Highly voracious. Feed on large crickets, roaches (Dubia), locusts, and earthworms. Adjust portions as they are prone to obesity. Dust prey with calcium and multivitamin supplements containing D3 twice a week.
Compatibility: Peaceful with similarly sized individuals. Can be housed in groups in large terrariums. Avoid mixing different sizes as larger toads will eat smaller ones.
Health and Common Diseases: Prone to skin infections if substrate or water is dirty. Ensure the water bowl is always clean. Handle only when strictly necessary, using wet, powder-free gloves.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Endemic to Cuba and nearby islands. They inhabit dry tropical forests, coastal shrublands, grasslands, and agricultural fields, sheltering in deep soil burrows or under rocks.
Origin
Central America and Caribbean
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 16.3 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 16.3 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 16.3 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.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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