Houston Toad

The Houston Toad is classified as Endangered (EN), considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

The Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis) is an endangered species of amphibian. The toad was discovered in the late 1940s and named in 1953. Official estimates are that just 3,000 - 4,000 adult Houston Toads are left in the world. More

The Houston toad is 2 to 3.5 inches long. Its general coloration varies from light brown to gray or purplish gray, sometimes with green patches. The pale undersides often have small, dark spots. More

The Houston toad is one of the first frogs to call in the spring, in January or February, when the 24-hour minimum air temperature reaches 57°F (14°C). FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET Nothing is known. More

The Houston Toad is a terrestrial amphibian associated with deep sandy soils within the Post Oak Savannah vegetational area of east central Texas. Since Houston Toads are poor burrowers, loose friable soils are required for burrowing. More

The Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis) was the first amphibian granted protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Critical habitat was designated in Bastrop and Burleson counties in 1978, in areas supporting the largest populations known at that time. More

destroys Houston toad habitat and favors the proliferation of other toad species, certain agricultural practices can be beneficial to Houston toads. More

The Houston toad today, lives exclusively in pine or mixed hardwood and oak forests. It is possible, but unsubstantiated, that it historically occurred in savanna among native bunchgrasses and flowering plants. More

What does the species eat: The Houston toad's diet consists mainly of insects, such as ground beetles and ants. They have been known to eat smaller toads. Tadpoles feed mainly on pollen, the jelly envelopes of recently hatched tadpoles and algae on floating leaves. More

Typical Houston Toad Habitat Courtesy Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife Houston toads are found in pine and/or oak woodlands underlain by pockets of deep sandy soils, with temporary pools of water available for breeding. More

Houston toads are short lived organisms – the record in captivity is about 4.5 years – with males thought to mature in their first spring, females in their second. More

McKinney Roughs to sponsor Houston Toad Habitat Workshop For Immediate Release: November 25, 2008 12:00 PM Subscribe: RSS 2. More

The call of the Houston Toad is a sustained high pitched trill, lasting as long as 11 seconds. More

critical Houston toad habitat in Bastrop County adjacent to Buescher and Bastrop state parks, the Houston Zoo initiated a captive breeding program to help supplement remaining populations or establish new ones in protected areas. More

The Houston Toad only lives in an area between Bastrop and Sealy. Experts think there are no more than 300 alive in the wild. That's why the Houston Zoo has been involved in an effort to raise and breed the toads. More

The endangered Houston toad can grow up to 3.5 inches long. More

The Houston toad's habitat includes ponds, flooded fields, lakes, roadside ditches and pastures. The Houston toad is currently numerous in the Bastrop County in Texas where there are 1500 individuals. The Houston toad is brown with black spots covered with warts. More

intrigued by this story about the Houston Toad—the star soprano in the frog chorus. Here’s some information about the toad from The Dallas Morning News: In the nightly pondside chorus, the Houston toad sings soprano. More

The Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis) is a Texas Native In Need. It was the first amphibian granted protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. More

HOUSTON TOAD } Bufo houstonensis RANGE: Central and southeastern Texas STATUS: The World Conservation Union lists the Houston toad as Endangered. It is listed as an Endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. More

A home they share with the endangered Houston Toad… an amphibian that doesn’t have a voice when it comes to how humans alter their shared habitat… alteration of habitat is what put the toad in peril. More

named the Houston toad, it disappeared from Harris County by the 1970's. Historic prolonged droughts, rapid urbanization and habitat loss are among the reasons for the toad's decline. More

The Houston toad was originally named in 1953. In 1970, it was federally listed as an endangered species. More

instrumental in isolating Houston toads into areas of friable sandy soil where they could burrow to avoid desiccation (Brown and Mesrobian, 2003). Only a few scattered populations of Houston toads are known to be extant in central and southeastern Texas (Seal, 1994). More

Houston Toad Bufo houstonensis = enlarge + Houston Toad More

70 adult Houston toads were released at two sites in Bastrop County, Texas. This release coincided with the natural breeding season for Houston toads in the wild. Early results were extremely encouraging with multiple males calling within an hour of their release. More