The Houston Toad

“He estimated there are fewer than 500 adult toads in Bastrop County, and only as many as 2,000 of the adult toads overall”(Price Asher).The Houston toad population has massively decreased over the decades and there may be a negative impact if it goes extinct. Many factors have endangered the Houston toad and while there are many ways to save it, restoring their habitat is the most effective.

First and foremost, the Houston toad, or Anaxyrus houstonensis, is an endangered species and it has some important features. To start with, it is a nocturnal organism spending its daytime in burrows and feeding primarily on ground beetles at night. (It has been known to eat smaller toads and ants.) They are around two to four inches long and its color

can range from light brown to a purplish gray. Males have dark throats that seem blue and have speckled stomachs. Since this species has “more or less permeable skin” it both hibernates and aestivates during harsh weather(“What you Need to Know about the Houston Toad,the Endangered Species Act, and Bastrop County’s Lost Pines Habitat Conservation Plan”). The amphibian is endemic to a few parts of Texas such as Austin,Bastrop and Robertson.(“Houston Toad {Bufo Houstonensis}”). Also, the fact that it moves by “making short hops” means it can’t escape a predator. To avoid being eaten,they use camouflage and “Their skin secretes potent chemicals that are distasteful, and sometimes poisonous, to predators”, according to the article “Houston toad” on U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. They live in a savanna-like biome but with more trees and can be found in places such as Bastrop State Park. Organisms found in the toad’s biome are loblolly pine tree, post oaks, yaupons, beetles, owls, snakes and much more. There are twenty-two toads in the Anaxyrus genus which includes true toads native to North and Central America.The Houston toad has been seen mating with American and Woodhouse toads but they don’t produce fertile offspring. Animals in this genus all looked very similar, dark and rough skin, different coloration throughout but they each have their individual features such as the Woodhouse toad. It is four inches long, a lot bulkier than the Houston and has a significantly shorter mating call. While not enough research has been done to pinpoint an exact common ancestor between its current relatives, it is definitely a descendant of the Callobatrachus which is the first modern frog. It was discovered in China and is nine and a half centimeters long.
It was discovered in the 1940’s and three decades later, it was declared endangered.The Houston toad has had a hard time adapting the urbanized world in comparison with its look-alike, the Gulf Coast toad which can even live in cities.

The toads looking alike can be negative to this amphibian’s survival because people confuse them and think that the Houston toad is not actually endangered.(“Houston Toad vs. Gulf Coast Toad”) It is restricted to specific environments meaning it has very little land here in Texas to live. Since this toad moves by making short hops, it prevents it from escaping predators. It’s downfall also comes because of habitat fragmentation meaning “...transforming large habitat patches into smaller, more isolated fragments of habitat.” Invasive species also come into play such as the fire ant, they eat juvenile toads decreasing the population even more. Fires have burned thousands of acres in Bastrop State Park destroying the toad’s main home. Not only have humans affected the Houston toad, other animals and natural disasters have

too
The Houston Toad is a species that most people don’t think of as important but they can be valuable to both its ecosystem and humans. To protect itself from predators, it carries toxins such as serotonin. These are chemicals in alkaloids used to treat neurological and heart disease. This means that they could cure some types of cancer if more research could be done. Tests have been done on Cane toads and it could work. The Cane toad could help with prostate cancer and if more research could be done, the Houston toad could help with other diseases.(“Cane toad poison attacks prostate cancer cells, spares healthy cells: Queensland university researchers”). Other than medicinal properties, they can keep the ecosystem healthy. The Houston toad has permeable skin meaning liquids and gas can go through it. By doing checks on this toad, scientists see if the water or air is polluted therefore they notice is a habitat is healthy or not. While they don’t directly help their environment, they can keep their environment healthy. Together, males make a chorus of thrills while looking for females but they are not common anymore since the species' numbers are very low. Some people enjoyed these choruses and now they can’t hear them anymore. The Houston toad sounds useless at first but it could really help everyone.
The most effective way to prevent them from going through extinction is to restore and augment their environment. One of the greatest causes for their endangerment is the shrinking of the Houston toad’s habitat, either through fires or urbanization. Their main home, Bastrop State Park, was devastated by an immense fire, greatly decreasing their numbers. By fixing the burned forest, it gives the toad more land to live in which will most likely leave them in just a vulnerable status. In other words, the more the habitat there is, the more Houston toads there will be. Many organizations such as the U.S Fish and Wildlife Services and Houston zoo have joined the fight to help these creatures.
To begin with, funding is necessary to accomplish the revamping of the land.

The Houston zoo has released 600,000 of Houston toad eggs, they already have a link in their website to donate but it is not enough money. There should be posters all around the zoo therefore getting more donations since more people are aware. With this money, groups of people can be built where they will go in the burned areas of Bastrop State Park and rebuild it by planting hundreds of seedlings. Additionally, the funding would be directed to research for a way to stop erosion since it’s making the forest floor weaker. Also, landowners living in the Houston toad’s habitat should be forced to abide to the Safe Harbor Agreement(Najvar Paige). This has to be passed so that private landowners can take care of the toad and its environment. In addition, laws should reserve parts of Texas where the toads can live in therefore expanding their environment. Although the Houston toad is in danger of extinction, many things can be done to fix their

land.
As a result of habitat fragmentation,urbanization,fire ants and fires, the Houston toad is endangered but can be saved if its habitat is restored. According to Camila Ruz in “Amphibians facing terrifying rate of extinction”, half of the world’s amphibians are close to extinction,does this toad need to be endangered too?