The Houston toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis), [4] formerly Bufo houstonensis, is an endangered species of amphibian that is endemic to Texas in the United States. [5] [6] This toad was discovered in the late 1940s and named in 1953.

Houston toads, especially first-year toadlets and juveniles, are active year round under suitable temperature and moisture conditions. Their diet consists mainly of insects and other invertebrates. It is believed the average lifespan in the wild is 2 to 3 years.

The Houston toad is an explosive breeder, appearing in large numbers at breeding ponds where the males call to attract females over a period of a few nights throughout the breeding season, beginning as early as January 18. Houston toads typically breed from late January to June.

Adult Houston toads are medium-sized (2 to 3.5 inches) with females larger and bulkier than males. As with most toads, they are stout-bodied animals with short legs and rough warty skin.

Houston Toad. Historically, the Houston toad ranged across central and east Texas, but a drought and urban expansion in the 1960s saw the population decline. Today, there are only four small habitat areas left.

Working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

The Houston toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis, formerly Bufo houstonensis) is an endangered species of amphibian that is endemic to Texas in the United States. This toad was discovered in the late 1940s and named in 1953.

Houston toad habitat is generally characterized as rolling uplands covered with pine and/or oak forests underlain by deep sandy soils.

The Anaxyrus houstonensis, more commonly known as the Houston Toad, is just one of the species of interest considered endangered in the Brazos River basin. The Houston Toad has been listed as Federally Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1970.

Houston toads live in deep, sandy soils with native grasses in nine counties in Central Texas. Adults migrate to ponds and wetlands to breed following rainfall from January to June, usually with a peak in March or April.