This little fellow could sit on a nickel and still have room to stretch. He’s an Eastern American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) and part of the toad migration now hopping through our woods. A few days ago, the little toads like this were tadpoles; now, they’re looking for homesteads.
If he grows up, he’ll be somewhere between two and four inches long and capable of eating 1,000 insects daily. To protect against predators, he exudes a mild poison from his cranial crests. That toxin can irritate human eyes and mucous membranes and make dogs sick, but it doesn’t bother the Garter Snakes that think toads are a delicacy. (Brooklin, Maine)