October, 2020 - By Koaw (Updated March, 2022)

Once again I’ve teamed up with Master Naturalist Ty “The Snakeman” Smith to share some knowledge about toad identification! In Virginia (and all other places these toads coexist) it can be very difficult to tell the difference between the eastern American toad (Anaxyrus americanus americanus), the southern toad (Anaxyrus terrestris) and the Fowler’s toad (Anaxyrus fowleri). We’ll give you the tips you need to ID these toads!

Color is not a great feature to use when trying to tell these species apart as there is much variance in color expression even within a species. Do keep in mind that these species can hybridize. So sometimes an exact identification is just not possible without further analysis and/or DNA sampling.


The video will explain all you need to know! I’ve also supplied the images I’ve created for the video down below for a quick reference guide. Good luck with your toad identifications!

You can follow Ty Smith on iNaturalist under the tag @tysmith. You can also find me on iNaturalist under the tag @koaw.

Ty’s Guide for identifying these three species: https://www.herpingva.org/profiles/understanding-toad-identification (He created this in June of 2022 and it adds other helpful tips!)

Also check out Ty Smith’s main herpetofauna resource for all Virginia reptiles & amphibians. HERPING VIRGINIA - https://www.herpingva.org/

  1. CHECK OUT THE WARTS IN THE DORSAL SPOTS

These are the usual trends that occur within the species. I have found a few eastern American toads that had three large warts in dorsal spots in areas where the other species are not present; this isn’t common but does happen. Also, as Ty points out in the video, the southern toad quite often has long and streaky spots with many enlarged warts. However, as is seen in the video, he has found specimens with maximum of only one or two large warts in the largest of dorsal spots.

2. COMPARE THE WARTS ON THE CALF TO THE WARTS ON THE THIGH

3. LOOK AT THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE POSTORBITAL RIDGE & PAROTOID GLAND

I’ve highlighted the the postorbital ridge and parotoid gland for the eastern American toad and Fowler’s toad in the next image. This offers a more obvious comparison of the gap that exists on the American and not on the Fowler’s.

4. CHECK FOR SPOTS ON THE CHEST & ANTERIOR ABDOMEN (BELLY)

5. CHECK THE SIZE OF CRANIAL CRESTS & KNOBS

Cranial Crests American Toad Southern Toad Fowlers Toad Koaw Nature.png
CRANIAL KNOB SOUTHERN TOAD VS AMERICAN TOAD KOAW NATURE.png

Alright! I wish you the best of luck finding and identifying the toads in your area! -Koaw