You've heard these guys before. In mid-spring the sound of toads and frogs singing in a nearby pond can be quite a concert (and keep you up at night!)

Toads emerge from their hibernation burrows under the frost line as soon as the soil warms up. Then it's off to the pond to sing!

What to listen for:

Click here to listen to the sound of an American Toad

Listen near wetlands for a high-pitched trill that lasts several seconds, then repeats again and again. American Toads are brownish, stocky toads, about 2 - 3 1/2 inches long. They have short back legs compared to most frogs, and strong front legs. Two large glands just behind their eyes give off a bitter-tasting substance that can make predators like snakes sick.

Listen in your neighborhood and around school. If you think you are the first person to hear a toad, ask your teacher to submit your name to the Wolf Ridge website (see table below.)

Where do American Toads live?
You can find the American Toad in all of Minnesota, and north to Hudson Bay, south to the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico, east to the Atlantic, and west to the Great Plains.

American Toads spend the winter burrowed into the ground. They go as deep as they need to get below the frost line, sometimes close to two feet underground! They won't come out of their burrows until the ground thaws. Toads travel to their breeding ponds and begin singing in earnest a couple of weeks after emerging from their burrows.
Why do toads and frogs sing near wetlands?

Summer on the way? Must be time to raise a family!

Toads, like other amphibians, need to lay their eggs in water. The tadpoles that hatch from the eggs (if they don't get eaten) will feed on pond life as they grow and change into adults with legs and lungs. Ready for life above the water, toads move onto the land. They eat insects and worms as adults. When the next spring rolls around, the males will return to the wetlands. There, they will sing to attract a female, and start the whole cycle over again.
Cool Facts

Dig-it!

Toads are cold-blooded. Their bodies will be the same temperature as the air or soil around them. Toads escape winter's freezing temperatures by digging a burrow into the ground in winter. If the frost gets too deep, they can dig further down in the middle of the winter. Toads also dig burrows in summer to cool off and stay moist during hot, dry spells.
A sign of good health

Because amphibians (toads, frogs, and salamanders) live the first part of their lives in water and their adult lives either in the water or on land, they need healthy ponds and healthy land around the ponds. If you have a healthy population of frogs, toads, and salamanders, that means you also have both healthy ponds and land near-by.
Think About It!
  1. What would happen to toads and frogs if we didn't have wetlands?
  2. If you listen every evening, you will start to hear a variety of amphibian songs. What patterns of sound do you notice?
  3. Why does it make sense that toads go deep underground both to stay warm and to stay cool?
Explore the Web
Listen to the songs of the American toad and it's relatives.
Not all toads and frogs get ready for winter in the same way.
Everything you could possibly want to know (almost!)
This fun website has good information.
Learn about southern Minnesota's deformed frogs mystery, and frogs and toads in general.
Print out and color different kinds of Minnesota frogs and toads.
Learn more about toads and other amphibians in these Wolf Ridge classes:
If you take Lake Study and Stream Study class at Wolf Ridge, you will examine the physical, chemical and biological properties of Wolf Lake or Sawmill Creek. Wearing boots which are provided, and working in small groups, you will test temperature, pH, stream velocity, and dissolved oxygen. You will also use nets to collect and examine aquatic animal life. Can you tell from your explorations whether the lake and stream are healthy or not?
In the spring, many Animal Signs classes visit "Snowmelt Pond" in Sawmill Creek Valley. This is an area in the woods that is wet only in spring or after a big rain. It is sometimes used by amphibians.
The Wetlands Ecology class explores the area near Raven Lake, which contains representations of various wetland types.
Date School Town Observer Comments
04/20/2010 Wolf Ridge Finland Kaitlin Ah, the beautiful sound of spring!