Anaxyrus terrestris
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie, from original photograph by Gary M. Stolz, USFWS (original photograph in public domain). · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Toad sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 66 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 9 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Toad in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in January and April, the lowest months. That is one of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain against 50 mm in March.
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.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Southern Toad sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 50%), Everglades National Park (United States, about 50%) and Congaree National Park (United States, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (66 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
