The Eastern-Japanese common toad lives only in Japan, across the eastern half of Honshu, and you won't find it wild in the US. It was long treated as the eastern subspecies of the Japanese common toad, but many experts now count it as a species of its own.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A warty brown toad, about 2½–7 in (6–18 cm) long, that can be yellowish or reddish brown. Its eardrum is large—wider than the gap between the eye and the eardrum.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- forests
- farmland
- grasslands
- city parks
- Range
- Native to the eastern half of Honshu, reaching west to northern Kinki and eastern Shimane. People have introduced it to parts of Hokkaido, Sado Island, and the Izu Islands.
- Preferred conditions
- Lives from near the coast up into high mountains.
Behavior
- Diet
- Hunts on the ground, eating ground beetles, ants, earthworms, and spiders.
Life cycle
- Breeding season
- An explosive breeder: in early spring, many males crowd into shallow ponds and compete for females. Each toad breeds for only about a week.
- Nest
- Females lay long strings of eggs in still water, tangled around underwater plants.
- Clutch size
- 1,500–14,000 eggs
Cautions
- Cautions
- Glands behind the eyes and in the skin release a toxin, and even the tadpoles are toxic. Wash your hands after touching one.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Long known as Bufo japonicus formosus, a subspecies; a 2022 revision raised it to a full species, Bufo formosus.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
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