American toad American toad The American toad ("Anaxyrus americanus") is a common species of toad found throughout the eastern United States and Canada. It is divided into three subspecies—the eastern American toad ("A. a. americanus"), the dwarf American toad ("A. a. charlesmithi"), and the rare Hudson Bay toad ("A. a. copei"). Recent taxonomic treatments place this species in the genus "Anaxyrus" instead of "Bufo". The eggs of the American toad are laid in two strings and can hatch in 2–14 days. When hatched the tadpoles are recognizable by their skinny tails in relation to the size of their black bodies. They may
Common toad warn the wearer of attempts to poison them. Shakespeare mentioned this in "As You Like It": Mr. Toad Esq. is one of the main characters in the children's novel "The Wind in the Willows", by Kenneth Grahame. This has been dramatized by several authors including A. A. Milne who called his play "Toad of Toad Hall". Mr. Toad is a very conceited, anthropomorphic toad and in the book he composes a ditty in his own praise which starts like this: George Orwell in his essay "Some Thoughts on the Common Toad" described the emergence of the common toad from hibernation