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Bastrop State Park Increases Houston Toad Presence


Bastrop State Park has taken a major step forward in providing a home for the endangered Houston toad. Partnering with Texas State University and the Houston Zoo last spring, it stocked approximately 500,000 Houston toad eggs in park ponds. The egg stocking should make a huge difference in the survival of this critically endangered species. The released eggs hatched into tiny tadpoles, mature enough to leave the ponds a few weeks after release. In spring 2021, the female toads will have matured enough to return to the ponds for the mating season.
Photo by Chase Fountain / TPWD

LATIN NAME:

Anaxyrus houstonensis


STATUS:

Listed as an endangered species since 1970.


SIZE:

2 to 2.5 inches long


LIFE EXPECTANCY:

Two to three years


ACTIVITY RATE:

The toads aestivate most of the year (similar to hibernation); they bury themselves in sand to escape extreme weather.


HABITAT:

Loblolly pine forest or post oak savannah with loose, deep sand. The toad occurs only in Texas.



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