Breeding chorus
Males call from shallow water or within ~100 yards of ponds. Warm, humid nights after rain trigger explosive breeding bursts.
Anaxyrus houstonensis
A small toad.
A vast landscape at risk.
Toad-ally Houston connects verified science with community action to protect one of Texas's most endangered amphibians.
Federal listing: October 13, 1970Current range: 9 Texas countiesAdult length: 2 to 3.5 inchesBreeding window: Late Jan – June
Why this matters
A species tied to a very specific Texas landscape
The Houston toad lives only in east-central Texas. Historic range spanned thirteen counties; recent surveys detect it in nine. Recovery depends on habitat stewardship, landowner participation, and sustained public support.
Breeding wetlands, forest canopy, and native understory must work together across the whole landscape—not in isolated fragments.
Listed federally in 1970—among the first amphibians protected under endangered species law—the Houston toad is now one of the rarest amphibians in the United States. Long-term threats include habitat fragmentation, drought, fire suppression and catastrophic wildfire, invasive fire ants, feral hogs, and road mortality during breeding movement.
Field observation
Canopy, sand, and shallow water
Houston toads need deep sandy soils, pine-oak forest with open understory, and ephemeral ponds that persist long enough for eggs and tadpoles—but not so permanent that fish, bullfrogs, and competing toads dominate.
Learn
A year in the life
Understanding seasonal rhythms helps landowners and neighbors protect toads when they are most vulnerable.
Eggs & tadpoles
Females lay long egg strings in water; eggs hatch in about 48 hours. Tadpoles develop over roughly 2.5 to 7 weeks depending on temperature and food.
Toadlets
New toadlets emerge at about half an inch, staying within a few meters of the pond edge for roughly three weeks before dispersing along drainages.
Upland adults
Adults forage on insects in forested sandy uplands, burrowing during hot dry periods. Males may breed at about one year; females often at two. Wild lifespan is at least three years.
Recovery in motion
Partners are returning toads to the landscape
In spring 2026, Texas Parks and Wildlife—with the Houston Zoo, Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—released more than one million Houston toad eggs at Bastrop State Park, renewing efforts after the 2011 wildfire and earlier reintroduction attempts.
Recovery programsQuick answers
Why is it called the Houston toad if it is not in Houston?
The name comes from where the species was first discovered and described—not where it lives today. Herpetologists documented the toad in the greater Houston area in the late 1940s; Ottys Sanders formally described it in 1953 as Bufo houstonensis (now Anaxyrus houstonensis), using the Latin epithet houstonensis meaning “from Houston.” By the 1970s, urban development, drought, and habitat loss had eliminated populations from Harris County. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notes that while the toad was first described from specimens collected near Houston, surviving wild populations are now mainly in counties such as Bastrop, east of Austin. The common name remains the officially recognized label tied to its original description.
Does the Houston toad live in Houston city limits?
Not anymore. The species was named for the region where it was first studied, but it is considered extirpated from Harris County. Today it survives in a narrowing band of east-central Texas counties with suitable sandy soils and forest habitat.
Range · East-central Texas
Nine counties. One fragile stronghold.
Despite its name, the Houston toad is extirpated from Harris County. Monitoring and recovery now focus on occupied counties where habitat partnerships can have the greatest impact.
AustinBastropBurlesonColoradoLavacaLeeLeonMilamRobertson
Concept map for v1. Replace with GIS geometry when licensed data is available.
Take action
Three paths to help right now
01
Fund recovery
Support education, habitat outreach, and partner-led stewardship across the Houston toad's active range.
Donate02
Report a sighting
Document observations with location and date details through our approved reporting workflow.
Submit observation03
Landowner resources
Learn how to protect ephemeral wetlands, native canopy, and voluntary conservation pathways.
For landowners