Scientific Name: Anaxyrus cognatus
(Formerly: Bufo cognatus)
Family: Bufonidae
Description and Size
- Dry, warty skin
- Short fore and hind limbs compared to the other frogs of the state
- Flattened face
- Large gland behind each eye (paratoid glands)
- Large crests on the top of the head (Cranial crests) that merge into a V-shaped raised area of the skin (boss)
- Total length: 4.6-11.4 cm (1.8-4.5 in)
- Back color: brown to green to gray
- Dark blotches on the back outlined by white or cream
- Belly color: white with no spots
Habitat
- Short, mixed, and tallgrass prairies
- Agricultural ditches
- Permanent bodies of water
- Flood plains
Diet
- Invertebrates
Great Plains Toad Call
Life History
- Nocturnal
- Active season: late March – October
- Breeding season: April – September
- Lays eggs
- Up to 20,000 eggs per female
Range
Most common range within the last 50 years and does not include outliers. For more info email dferraro1@unl.edu.