Gulf Coast Toad (Incilius nebulifer) lives in coastal prairies, barrier beaches, towns across Gulf of Mexico coast, Veracruz (Mexico) to Mississippi (USA). Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Gulf Coast Toad
- From Veracruz in Mexico all the way up to Mississippi, the Gulf Coast toad spans the entire Gulf of Mexico shoreline, a stretch that crosses two countries. It was removed from the synonymy of Incilius valliceps in 2000, cementing its identity as a distinct species.
- The Gulf Coast toad thrives in everything from coastal prairies and barrier beaches to towns and irrigation ditches, showing a tolerance for both pristine and human-altered water bodies. Because it can breed in roadside pools and irrigation ditches. This flexibility underpins the statement that this widespread and common toad is not threatened, highlighting how habitat generalists can persist despite urban expansion.
- When Gulf Coast toad tadpoles were kept at 32 °C for a week, about nine degrees hotter than the 23 °C control, they released cortisol (CORT) differently over time. Both groups dropped CORT six hours after returning to room temperature, but by 24 hours the heat-exposed tadpoles showed higher CORT levels. The hot group also grew faster yet had lower survival to 12 days, revealing a trade-off where accelerated growth under stress comes at the cost of longevity, a key clue for climate-change impacts.
- Monitoring in southern Texas required 36 trap arrays over two sites in 2015 and 2016, totaling 2,105 array-days and yielding 4,839 detections of 51 species. Detection probability shifted over the sampling period for ten species, and also varied with rainfall for ten species. Funnel and pitfall traps proved most efficient, capturing 14 and 12 species respectively.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeGulf of Mexico coast, Veracruz (Mexico) to Mississippi (USA)
HabitatCoastal prairies, barrier beaches, towns
DietInsects and worms
About the Gulf Coast Toad
In the warm, humid landscapes of the Gulf Coast, a humble yet resilient creature emerges from the underbrush, its warty skin a testament to a life well-adapted to the challenges of this unforgiving environment. The Gulf Coast Toad moves with a deliberate, unhurried gait, its short legs propelling it slowly but steadily through the leaf litter and dense vegetation, driven by an ancient instinct to seek out the shallow pools and temporary wetlands that will sustain it. As it navigates this ephemeral world, the toad's remarkable ability to survive and thrive in a realm of constant flux is a powerful reminder of the enduring beauty of evolutionary resilience.
Hear the Gulf Coast Toad, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
More amphibians to discover
