The California Toad is a subspecies of the Western Toad. One identifying characteristic is an oval parotoid gland behind each eye which is larger than the upper eyelid.
They also have a white or cream-colored dorsal stripe and warts set in dark blotches.
This toad was caught at the Live Oak Canyon Treefarm in Yucaipa, San Bernardino County.
They can be greenish above, like this one, or dusky gray, tan, reddish brown or yellow.
This was a very big toad.
This California toad, more of a dusky gray, has rusty warts on the dark spots, another common characteristic. This one was found near Lake Perris, outside Moreno Valley in Riverside County in April 1996.
This similarly colored toad was caught near the Whitewater River in Whitewater Canyon in April 1996. This one was much smaller than the Live Oak Canyon toad.
This toad is nocturnal and unlike frogs, generally walks and does not hop. 
One of these toads, I'm not sure which one, was hopping across my bathroom floor one early morning before I put my contacts in. I remember throwing a towel over it to hold it in place until I could scream loudly enough to get some help. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteis the California toad same as the Colorado River toad or the Sonoran Desert toad can we find those in Northern California Butte County
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