American Toad Diet

The American Toad, which is native to California, Oregon, Washington and parts of Canada and Mexico, has a varied diet, and is able to adapt to a number of living conditions. Toads also have a specific way of "catching" their food, and the toad's diet changes as it ages.

  1. Tadpoles

    • Tadpoles, or "baby" toads, are herbivores and feed on the algae in the body of water they live in. The tadpoles have special chemicals under their skin that protect them from predators (the chemical can make other animals sick). The tadpole's diet changes as it grows to include more foods, and eventually the toads will stop eating algae altogether.

    Adult Toads

    • Adult American toads eat a number of insects such as flies and gnats but also feed on invertebrates like snails and slugs. Some American toads eat earthworms and beetles as well. If a toad lives in an area where slugs are abundant, it will eat these, too. American toads have a fairly healthy appetite and can eat up to 1,000 insects each day.

    Catching Food

    • American toads will wait until their prey is close to them before pouncing on it. The toad will also use its long, sticky tongue to trap and eat prey. Toads do not have teeth, so they swallow their prey whole after catching it. For larger insects and invertebrates, toads will use their front legs to grab the food and bring it to their mouths.

    Water

    • American toads don't drink water. Instead, they absorb water through their skin to stay hydrated. A toad's skin also has warts, which contain glands that produce a poisonous chemical that is used to keep predators away. The chemical makes other animals sick if the skin of the wart is ruptured but will not harm humans unless the substance gets into the eyes or is ingested.

    Predators

    • Animals that eat American toads can often be found in the same locations where the toads searching for food. The toad's main predator is the snake, especially the Eastern hognose snake. Garter snakes eat toads as well and are immune to the substance that toads release through their warts. To protect itself, the toad may puff itself with air so that it is difficult to swallow, or it will urinate on itself so that it is less-appealing to predators.