Pine Toad

Fascinating facts about the Pine Toad

• Although once lumped together with Incilius mccoyi, the pine toad earned its own name after scientists split the two species in 2011, showing how even subtle differences can redraw a whole taxonomic map.
• A mystery specimen labeled Bufo intermedius, thought to hail from Ecuador, turned out to be a pine toad when researchers examined its stomach and found two beetle species that never live in Ecuador, proving that a toad’s last meal can solve a century-old puzzle.
• From dry low-land scrub to cool conifer forests and even oak woodlands, the pine toad thrives in a surprisingly wide range of Mexican habitats, proving it can adapt to both pristine and disturbed landscapes.
• Its breeding grounds are the streams that thread the Central Mexican Plateau, and when those waterways dry out, get altered, or become polluted, the toad’s future is jeopardized, highlighting how water quality directly shapes amphibian survival.

At a glance

About the Pine Toad

The pine toad (Incilius occidentalis) is a common toad endemic to the Central Mexican Plateau that lives in a wide variety of habitats, including lowland xeric scrubs, deciduous forest, coniferous forests, oak forests, and disturbed environments. Stomach examinations have revealed beetle species, indicating a flexible diet. Breeding takes place in streams, and desiccation, alteration, and pollution of its breeding habitat are the main threats to the species.

More other animals to discover

Browse Feravox