While mowing the lawn I came across quite a few of these little toads. The Canadian toad also known as the Dakota toad or the Manitoba Toad is remarkable because it survives the cold winters of this area. The cranial boss or bump between the eyes is the only way to distinguish this toad from the American toad. This little guy survives the winter in a burrow below frost line. Many will overwinters communally within small earth mounds, called mima mounds. These mounds sometimes hold several hundred toads over the winter. It would be interesting to find one of these mounds in the fall and spring to see what it looks like. Canadian toads have glands in their skin that puts off a bad tasting liquid that can make animals that try to eat them sick. You will find that this liquid squirts out of them as soon as you try to pick one up.
While mowing the lawn I came across quite a few of these little toads. The Canadian toad also known as the Dakota toad or the Manitoba Toad is remarkable because it survives the cold winters of this area. The cranial boss or bump between the eyes is the only way to distinguish this toad from the American toad. This little guy survives the winter in a burrow below frost line. Many will overwinters communally within small earth mounds, called mima mounds. These mounds sometimes hold several hundred toads over the winter. It would be interesting to find one of these mounds in the fall and spring to see what it looks like. Canadian toads have glands in their skin that puts off a bad tasting liquid that can make animals that try to eat them sick. You will find that this liquid squirts out of them as soon as you try to pick one up.
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