Toads & Frogs / Tot
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Toads & Frogs / Tot
Introduced Species
Frogs and toads are amphibians, which means that they live part of their lives in water and part on land. Toads usually have dry bumpy skin while frogs have smooth, moist skin. Toads and frogs lay their eggs in fresh water. Any puddle or pond will do. An amazing thing happens with their jelly-like eggs. They hatch into animals known as tadpoles or polliwogs that look more like fish than toads or frogs. The little tadpoles quickly grow legs, lose their tails, and start breathing air. Guam has one kind of toad, the marine toad, and one kind of frog, the eastern dwarf tree frog.
The tot as it is called in Chamoru, was brought to Guam in 1937 by people who hoped it would eat up insects and the black garden slug. It cleaned up most of the slugs since so few are seen today. Feeding mostly at night, the toads catch insects by zapping them with their long sticky tongues. Toads are common throughout Guam and can be seen on streets and lawns during the rainy season. They reach a size of about five inches (13 cm) in body length.
Toads produce a thick white milky substance on their skin which is poisonous and keeps animals like dogs and cats from eating them. They are otherwise harmless and will not give people warts. But children should be taught to wash their hands after handling them and should not put them in their mouths, since the toad's protective juice could make them sick.
The eastern dwarf tree frog is much smaller than the toad, reaching only about an inch (2.5 cm) in length. It gets its name because it lives in trees and bushes, and rarely comes to the ground. Its green coloration helps it hide among the leaves. These frogs are more likely to be heard than seen. They give a call that sounds like "reek, reek, reek", which is repeated many times. Calling is heard most often near areas of freshwater where they gather to breed. Tree frogs are not native to Guam. They were probably accidentally brought to our island in the 1960s and are now common in areas of southern and central Guam, especially near ponds and wetlands. They are native to eastern Australia.
Guam Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 9/27/2005
