Fowler's Toad

Anaxyrus fowleri

A small, warty eastern North American toad whose females can lay strings of up to 20,000 eggs.

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About the Fowler's Toad

Fowler's toads are 2 to 3.5 inches long, brown, gray or olive with dark warty spots and a pale stripe down the back. They live in most of the eastern United States and parts of southeastern Canada, in woods, river valleys, marshes and farm fields near water. At night they eat insects, snails and worms. Tadpoles eat algae and bacteria scraped from rocks and plants.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Anaxyrus fowleri^[1]
Size: 2 to 3.5 inches long.^[1]
Lifespan: About 5 years.^[1]
Diet: Insects, snails and worms; tadpoles eat algae.^[1]
Habitat: Floodplain woods, river valleys, marshes and fields near water.^[1]
Where it lives: Most of the eastern U.S. and parts of southeastern Canada.^[1]
Group life: Nocturnal.^[1]
Babies: Up to 20,000 eggs in strings.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2021).^[2]

Fun facts

A female can lay up to 20,000 eggs.^[1]
Tadpoles become toads in under two months.^[1]
Fowler's toads don't live in the Florida peninsula.^[1]

Vocabulary

amphibian: A cold-blooded animal, such as a frog or salamander, that usually starts life in water and has moist skin.
metamorphosis: A big change in body form as an animal grows, like a tadpole turning into a frog.
tadpole: A young frog that lives in water and breathes with gills.
nocturnal: Active mainly at night.
least concern: A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · AmazoniaSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Fowler's toad.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/fowlers-toad (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Anaxyrus fowleri (Fowler's Toad).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/54640/196333508 (accessed 2026-10-08)