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Amphibians of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AMPHIBIA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata))

-Amphibians (Class Amphibia)

-Frogs and Toads (Order Anura)

-Southern Frogs (Family Leptodactylidae)

-Beaked Toads (Genus Rhinella)

-Giant Toad (Rhinella horribilis)


Rhinella horribilis, commonly known as the Giant Toad, is a large, robust species of toad that is native to Central and South America. They are usually brown or grey in colour, with warty, rough skin. Their underbelly is pale cream or yellowish. The coloration helps them blend into their terrestrial environments. They are opportunistic feeders, consuming a wide variety of prey including insects, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and even carrion. They have a voracious appetite and will eat almost anything they can fit in their mouths.


The Giant Toad (Rhinella horribilis) is only one of two species of Toads documented in the Zihuatanejo area. It is the only species of genus Rhinella found in Zihua.

Giant Toad
(Rhinella horribilis)

Diet

  • An opportunistic carnivore that feeds on a wide variety of terrestrial invertebrates, including beetles, ants, termites, crickets, grasshoppers, spiders, millipedes, and earthworms.

  • Larger adults also consume small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards, snakes, rodents, and occasionally nestling birds.

  • Will readily scavenge carrion and forage around lights where insects congregate.

Range

  • Found from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of southern Texas through Mexico, Central America, and into western and northern South America as far as northwestern Peru and Venezuela.

  • Widespread throughout Mexico, including the Pacific coast and the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a common year-round resident.

Habitat

  • Occupies an exceptionally wide range of habitats, including tropical dry forests, tropical rainforests, thorn scrub, savannas, riparian woodland, mangroves, grasslands, and agricultural areas.

  • Highly adaptable and frequently found in villages, gardens, parks, roadsides, and other human-modified environments.

  • Breeds in ponds, marshes, temporary rain pools, canals, ditches, and slow-moving streams, usually after heavy seasonal rains.

Size

  • Male: 10–16 cm (3.9–6.3 in)

  • Female: 15–23 cm (5.9–9.1 in)

  • Weight: Up to 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) in exceptionally large females, though most adults weigh 200–800 g

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