Anaxyrus terrestris
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie, from original photograph by Gary M. Stolz, USFWS (original photograph in public domain). · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The southern toad (Anaxyrus terrestris) is a true toad native to the southeastern United States, from eastern Louisiana and southeastern Virginia south to Florida, where it is the largest toad found in that range. It often lives in areas with sandy soils. It is nocturnal and spends the day in a burrow. Its coloring is usually brown but can be red, gray, or black. It is approximately 8 cm (3 inches) long.
The southern toad is a medium-sized, plump species with a snout-to-vent length of up to 92 mm (3.6 in) with females being slightly larger than males. The most obvious distinguishing features are the knobs on the head and the backward-pointing spurs that extend as far as the paratoid glands. The dorsal surface is covered with warts, some of which may be spiny. The color of the head, back and sides varies from brick red to mottled grey, brown and black while the underparts are pale, sometimes with dark spots on the chest.
The southern toad is found on the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. Its range extends from southern Virginia to Florida and Louisiana and there are two isolated populations on the Piedmont plateau and the Blue Ridge... Wikipedia →
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | ZooTampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Zoo Atlanta | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Riverbanks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Naples Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Newport Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Toad sighting in Orlando on a given day, based on 282 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 10 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Toad in Orlando on a given day, against about 10% in January, the lowest month. Those are among Orlando's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain a month against 50 mm in November.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Toad sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Southern Toad sightings, Orlando has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Miami (United States, under 5%).
Same order: Anura
The closest relatives of the Southern Toad that you can see in Orlando (order Anura, Frogs and Toads) are Cuban Treefrog (about 30%), Green Treefrog (about 10%) and Greenhouse Frog (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Orlando (282 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
