Family Bufonidae - True Toads
Number of Species in the World and in Canada
The family Bufonidae represents the true toads and includes 20 genera and 279 species
worldwide. Seventeen of these species occur in North America and five species are present in
Canada.
Identifying Characteristics
Members of this family possess a prominent cranial crest, extremely warty and dry skin, large
parotoid glands on either side of the neck and no true teeth. The parotid glands and the warts
secrete a sticky white poison which deters predators. These poisons cause irritation to the eyes
and mouth and if swallowed can cause illness, but there is no danger in handling toads. Contrary to
popular belief, toads do not cause warts.
Feeding
These toads are voracious eaters and learn to wait under outdoor lights for insects that are
attracted to the illumination.
Mating
Toads are most often seen during the breeding season in the spring and early summer when large
numbers congregate in shallow, temporary pools. The males call for mates, their vocal sac
inflating to various shapes depending on the species. A male may cling to the female for days
until she lays her eggs, usually in pairs of strings attached to vegetation. No other four-footed
vertebrate lays more eggs than female toads which may lay as many as 25,000. The eggs hatch
into tiny black tadpoles that metamorphose a few weeks later into toadlets.
There are five members of the Bufonidae family in Canada, all of the genus Bufo:
American toad (Bufo americanus)
Fowler's toad (Bufo fowleri)
Canadian toad (Bufo hemiophrys)
Western toad (Bufo boreas)
Great Plains toad (Bufo cognatus)