American Toads Rule! (video)

American Toads in Large Numbers, Homer Lake Wetland, 4/6/2021

American toads dominated the airwaves this afternoon, leaving no question who the pond belonged to today. The frogs that have been hanging out at the pond were still there but not very vocal this afternoon, and I even heard the beginnings of yet another species calling and saw still another species appearing, but not yet calling. Nevertheless, with their loud, prolonged trills and sheer numbers (five just in the photo above!), the American toads were ruling the afternoon. 

Like the boreal chorus frogs, a couple of which were insistent in calling despite being overshadowed by the boisterous toads, and the spring peepers, American toads are visitors to the wetland. They come from the surrounding meadows and woodlands to breed and will again vanish back to where they came from. Today, though, was apparently a good day to meet up down at the pond. The video clip below focuses on one persistent fellow trilling for a mate, but you'll also see a couple of skirmishes in the background as other male toads challenge one another for territory.

Nerd note: there is research indicating that while toads tend to return to the pond they originated from in order to breed, they largely avoid inbreeding, apparently by females recognizing characteristics of the calls of males they are related to. See the research at https://academic.oup.com/icb/article/32/1/18/2080669 for more detail on this.




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