You’ll be gulping down water that averages 143 degrees Fahrenheit!
What do Bill Clinton, Al Capone, and Major League Baseball all have in common? They all of ties to Hot Springs, Arkansas. This photo of an American toad was taken while in Hot Springs National Park. It’s located in Garland County, Arkansas on 5,500 acres of land. It was first established on April 20, 1832 and was designated as a national park on March 4, 1921. Each year about 2.5 million people visit the park. In 2022 I was fortunate enough to be one of those visitors.
One of the main experiences within the park are the hot springs themselves. They were once more abundant, providing fresh hot water to all the spas along the main streets of Hot Springs. Now a majority of park guests will get a drink of water from one of the taps that line the promenade. Be ready for some confusion when you take that first drink (I know I was confused!). You’ll be gulping down water that averages 143 degrees Fahrenheit. The water is immediately potable and contains some notable minerals: silica, bicarbonate, calcium sulfate, magnesium, chloride, sodium, fluoride, potassium, oxygen, and free carbon dioxide.
This American toad posed for me to snap a few photos as we were wrapping up the Sunset Trail. We had parked a vehicle at each end of this 8-mile ridgeline trail. The scientific name for this toad is Anaxyrus americanus. It can be found throughout Canada and the eastern United States. There are three subspecies: the eastern American toad, the dwarf American toad, and the Hudson Bay toad. The Hudson Bay toad is rare. Based on the typical range, this was likely a dwarf American toad which has the scientific name Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithi.
The dwarf American toad only grows to be 2.25 inches long. It is typically a dark reddish color as is evidenced in this photo. They have few, if any, spots on their back. Their warts are always darker than the skin of the toad. If we had picked up this toad, we would have seen a cream-colored belly with a few dark spots in the breast area. This toad can be confused with the Gulf Coast toad, but the Gulf Coast toad would have a dark lateral strip and a deep space between it cranial crests.
The dwarf American toad only grows to be 2.25 inches long
Did you know?
- The dwarf American toad eats mainly spiders, worms, and small insects.
- It takes 52-79 days for American toads to mature from eggs to adults.
- Their tadpoles produce toxic chemicals in their skin that discourage predation.
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