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Sexing A. cognatus/Great plains toad

froggy

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Hi all

I have a group of Anaxyrus/Bufo cognatus and am quite stumped as to sexing them. four of them are between 6.5 and 7.5cm long, one is smaller at about 5.5cm. They have recently warmed up from around 15 to 20C and have become more active. The small animal has taken to making odd chuckling calls and chasing after others trying to amplex them, so I assume that one is a male. One of the larger 4 looks like it has an extra baggy throat, although it has never called, and I suspect that that is a vocal sack.However, the other three have left me clueless! What is the best thing to look for to sex them? How large are females usually (I can find only records of maximum sizes, which is not helpful)?

Any help would be appreciated

C
 

sallie2010

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I am not sure if this is completely true but I read this some where and I have used this method. If you pick up the toad behind its forelegs placing your fingertips in the axillary. If the toad rumbles then it is male. The idea is toads cannot tell the sex just by looking at each other so when males mount other males the rumbling cues I am male.
:confused:
I know the nuptial pads, these are small pads at the base of the toad's "thumb" is a dead give-away for sexing but if you don't know how to identify it or can't p/u your toads then this would be hard to do.
 

froggy

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The problem is that both of these require toads to be in breeding condition.If a toad doesn't have nuptial pads and/or doesn't make a release call, it may just be a male out of season, rather than a female.

I think I will have to wait until next spring to see for some of mine. I didn't cool them very much this winter, but next winter they will go in a fridge down to 5-7C for a couple of months.

C
 

SludgeMunkey

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The problem is that both of these require toads to be in breeding condition.If a toad doesn't have nuptial pads and/or doesn't make a release call, it may just be a male out of season, rather than a female.

I think I will have to wait until next spring to see for some of mine. I didn't cool them very much this winter, but next winter they will go in a fridge down to 5-7C for a couple of months.

C

Simplest way is to take advantage of the size of the specimens. Adult females of breeding age are larger. (up to 155mm SVL) Males can be distinguished by the color of the gular sac.(generally up to 110SVL) In specimens from my area, all and only males have distinctive localized areas of black pigmentation I refer to as the ink spot. Even juvenile males exhibit this trait. This can vary greatly from just a "fuzzy dot" to an outright "splotch". (Like my scientific terms? :rofl:)

Use of metatarsal tubercles can be difficult with this species in my opinion, as both males and females posses them to varying degree in my locale. Generally however, all males, no matter the age posses small, very black tubercles whereas females generally have large less pronounced and light colored tubercles.
 

Zach42

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The problem is that both of these require toads to be in breeding condition.If a toad doesn't have nuptial pads and/or doesn't make a release call, it may just be a male out of season, rather than a female.

I think I will have to wait until next spring to see for some of mine. I didn't cool them very much this winter, but next winter they will go in a fridge down to 5-7C for a couple of months.

C
I've had American and Fowler's toads do the release call all year.
 
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