Anaxyrus quercicus

With just 19-33 mm the Anaxyrus quercicus is a mini-toad of the coastal regions in the south-east of the USA. It is recognized at once, size apart, for the characteristic clear stripe crossing, from the head to the tail, the back. Active during the day, lives in the undergrowth of oak groves and pine forests with dens and ponds or reproductive ditches less than 80 m away. It mainly nourishes of ants, but also of spiders, insects and mollusks. It often spends the winter dormant. With the spring rains begins the reproductive season that can last then till October. The males arrive first in the water ponds and attract the females with calls similar to chirps. These, despite the size, lay up to 500 eggs, then often die of starvation. United in small strands of 3-8 elements they are fecundated externally by the males. They hatch quickly, in 24-36 hours, and the tadpoles metamorphose in about 4-6 weeks © Giuseppe Mazza