A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad -
Breeding, Eggs, and Young

Click on a picture for a larger view

(=Bufo boreas halophilus)

Adults in the Breeding Season

Adults in amplexus, San Joaquin County	Adults in amplexus, with female laying eggs, San Joaquin County	A breeding male at the edge of a creek, San Joaquin County	Adults in amplexus, San Joaquin County. The female takes the male for a swim across the creek.

A breeding male sits on some reeds at the edge of a breeding pond in Contra Costa County. I watched him swim back and forth, grabbing onto other males then releasing them.	A solo male swims toward a pair in amplexus in a pond in Contra Costa County.	Adults in amplexus surrounded by eggs, San Joaquin County	A breeding male sits on some reeds at the edge of a breeding pond in Contra Costa County after an unsuccessful attempt to steal a female away from another male.

Two males attempt to steal the female from a pair in amplexus in a pond in Contra Costa County.	Adults in amplexus with eggs, Contra Costa County.	Three pairs of adults in amplexus at an egg-laying site at the edge of a pond in Contra Costa County. There were five more pairs nearby.	Two pairs in amplexus and eggs at the edge of a pond in Contra Costa County.

A breeding male on the breeding pond in Contra Costa County. He was frantically swimming around trying to find a female.	Adults in amplexus with egg strings, Los Angeles County. © Megan Harris		Adults in amplexus, Kern County © Henk Wallays

Congregation of breeding adults, February, Contra Costa County © Joyce Gross	Male toads in an Alameda County breeding pond, apparently attempting to amplex a catfish. © Andy Hatch	Three toads attempting to pair up with a dead toad. Alameda County. © Mark Gary	Adults in amplexus and eggs, Orange County © Jason Jones

Breeding pair, Riverside County © Lauren Tyson	Adults in amplexus, Alameda County	Adults in amplexus, Contra Costa County	Adults in amplexus, Contra Costa County

Adults in amplexus, Contra Costa County
Eggs

Eggs in a creek, San Joaquin County	Eggs at the edge of a small pond, Contra Costa County	Eggs at the edge of a pond, Contra Costa County	Eggs at the edge of a pond, Contra Costa County

Eggs at the edge of a small pond, Alameda County	Egg strings, Contra Costa County	Mass of egg strings, Contra Costa County	Egg strings, Contra Costa County

Egg strings covered with silt, Contra Costa County	Egg strings in a creek, San Joaquin County	Eggs, Contra Costa County	Eggs, Contra Costa County

Egg string, Contra Costa County	Egg strings, Alameda County	Eggs, Contra Costa County. Not all eggs will hatch: these eggs at the edge of a pond dried out as the water level lowered.	Egg strings on pond, Orange County © Jason Jones

Adult male and eggs, Alameda County	Eggs, Alameda County	Eggs, Alameda County	Eggs, Alameda County

There are three types of frog eggs in this Contra Costa County pond in mid March: the large mass on top is from the California Red-legged Frog, the long strings of eggs are from the California Toad, and the small balls of eggs are from the Sierran Treefrog. © Mark Gary	Eggs, Contra Costa County	Male and female in amplexus at egg deposition site.
Tadpoles and Young

Young tadpole underwater, Kern County	Young tadpole underwater, Kern County	Young tadpole, Kern County	Young tadpole underwater, Kern County

Tadpole in pond, Contra Costa County	Tadpole in water, Contra Costa County	Tadpole in water, Contra Costa County	Tadpole in water, Contra Costa County

Mature tadpole with hind legs, in water, Contra Costa County	Mature tadpole with four legs, in water Contra Costa County	Tadpoles, San Bernardino County

Dense mass of mature tadpoles, Contra Costa County

This is the same location in May where eggs and breeding activity were photographed and filmed in March, now filled with thousands of mature tadpoles.	This is the same location in June where eggs and breeding activity were photographed and filmed in March, now filled with thousands of recently metamorphosed young toads, shown here.	Tadpoles in breeding pond, Contra Costa County	Tadpoles, San Bernardino County
Recently-hatched Tadpoles Recently-hatched tadpoles lay nearly motionless near the eggs for a few days after hatching.

Newly-hatched tadpoles recently emerged from eggs, Contra Costa County

These tadpoles just hatched from eggs, San Joaquin County	Newly-hatched tadpoles recently emerged from eggs, San Joaquin County	Newly-hatched tadpoles recently emerged from eggs, Contra Costa County	Newly-hatched tadpoles recently emerged from eggs, Contra Costa County
Transformed Juveniles

Three newly metamorphosed juveniles with some tail remaining, Contra Costa County			Toadlet that has recently undergone metamorphosis and absorbed its tail.

After transforming from tadpoles, thousands of tiny toad metamorphs can often be found on the banks of breeding ponds.			Recently metamorphosed toadlet, Riverside County.
Short Videos

At a breeding location, you can often hear what sounds like a chorus of toads, especially when the toads are hidden in vegetation, but California Toads do not typically make advertisement calls to attract females. They vocalize when they encounter other males. Males in search of a female often swim around excitedly, approaching other males (as if they were females) and trying to steal away females in amplexus. These encounters are usually accompanied by a series of encounter calls (release calls) from the other male. Sometimes one toad in amplexus not in direct contact with another male will make a series of short, sharp, evenly-spaced peeps, which sound as if they could be a warning signal. It is probably the male that makes this sound, though I can't be sure. At times there was so much going on, it was hard to see which toads were making sounds. These videos show some of this breeding behavior at the shallow outlet of a pond in Contra Costa County where at least 8 solo males and 10 pairs in amplexus were observed in the area. Not all of them are seen in the videos. Some are heard off camera.			Toads in amplexus laying eggs and swimming across a creek in San Joaquin County.

This video shows three groups of toad egg strings, first some single strings in a shallow creek, then two large collections of egg strings on two separate ponds.	Tadpoles that have just hatched from egg strings but are not yet moving in a rain pool in San Joaquin County.	Recently-hatched tadpoles lay around where they were hatched in a pond in Contra Costa County. They have not yet begun swimming.	Tadpoles in a creekbed in San Bernardino County.

Thousands of tadpoles swim along the edge of a pond in Contra Costa County.	Thousands of tadpoles forage in a thick mass at the edge of a pond in Contra Costa County.	Tiny, recently-transformed toadlets on the shores of two small ponds in Contra Costa County.	Thousands of recently-transformed toadlets, many still have a tail, hop around on the bank of a pond in Contra Costa County. This is the same place I watched adults breed and lay eggs three months earlier, which you can hear and see in the videos on this page.

This short video shows the life cycle of the California Toad, from the late winter breeding season when frenzied males call and compete and pair up with females who lay long strings of eggs, to tiny black tadpoles just emerged from the eggs then developing and forming huge feeding masses, to the tiny toads, recently-transformed from tadpoles, massing together around the pond edge then dispersing on their own, to an adult toad moving about on its own, as it will remain until the next breeding season.

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Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad - Breeding, Eggs, and Young

Anaxyrus boreas halophilus - California Toad -
Breeding, Eggs, and Young