Description
Dorsum yellowish brown, grayish, or olive, with unsymmetrical pattern of small dark spots that usually contain 1-2 warts; usually a light stripe along middle of back; cranial crests (supraorbital ridges) more or less parallel between eyes; parotoid glands about twice as long as wide; maximum snout-vent length about 12.7 cm), females grow much larger than males. Mature male: during breeding season, throat dark and dark patches present on inner surfaces of first and second digits of front feet; expanded vocal sac spherical or slightly elongated; breeding call: a loud waaaaaah lasting about 1-4 seconds and emitted up to several times per minute. Juvenile: middorsal stripe absent or inconspicuous, usually some warts reddish, often misidentified as red-spotted toad. Larvae: dorsum brown or dark gray, often with light mottling/dense gold flecking; head narrow when viewed from above (snout end more pointed and overall body shape more triangular than in red-spotted toad); belly gold with black mottling; eyes dorsal; fins mainly clear with sparse pigment flecks, more in upper fin than in lower; tail musculature dark with light mottling/gold flecking, pale along lower margin; labial tooth rows 2/3; oral papillae restricted to sides of mouth; anus on midline at front end of ventral tail fin; maximum total length at least 35 mm in Colorado. Eggs: black above, tan below, 1.0-1.5 mm in diameter, deposited in long strings in a single jelly envelope; single or double row of eggs in each jelly string. Source: Hammerson (1999).
Habitat
Woodhouse's toads inhabit grasslands, desert and semi-desert shrublands, river valleys and floodplains, and agricultural areas, usually in areas with deep friable soils. When inactive, they burrow underground or hide under rocks, plants, or other cover. These toads live on land except during the brief breeding season. Breeding occurs in marshes, rain pools, ponds, lakes, reservoirs, flooded areas, stream pools or backwaters, and other bodies of water with a shallow margin lacking a strong current, including both permanent and temporary pools, generally in sites with few if any fishes.
Reproduction
Breeding occurs in spring or summer, generally after rains. Several dozen adults may aggregate for breeding. Breeding choruses may last a few weeks. Females deposit a clutch of up to 25,000 eggs in long strings. Larvae metamorphose into tiny toadlets within 1-2 months. Individuals become sexually mature usually in 2-3 years.