Category: Amphibians
The American toad is a commonly occurring species throughout the Eastern United States and Canada and they can live almost anywhere, from forest to grassland. One of their interesting adaptations is that the tadpoles have been shown to have mutualistic relationship with Chlorogonium alga, developing more rapidly in its presence than without it. Also, in addition to seeking safety in numbers, their tadpoles produce a toxin to discourage predation.
Learn more about the American Toad at Wikipedia and Reptiles Magazine.
Only a Mother’s Love…
We are taught that toads leave their fertilized eggs in the water in long strings, which hatch into tadpoles, who live in the water until they grow legs and lungs and become toads. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, there always has to be an exception to the rule: the male Suriname toad implants eggs into the female’s back, which sink into her skin and forms pockets where the eggs eventually hatch into tadpoles. These tadpoles live on their mother’s back until transforming into toads, at which point they burrow out of her skin in a fascinating or horrifying (or both) display, depending on your perspective.
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Discover Animals is a web-based educational resource offered by the NAIA
