It is estimated that only a few thousand toads remain in the wild, mostly concentrated on ephemeral ponds in Bastrop and Robinson counties. The latest toad numbers are not as good as they have been for years and populations are returning to their pre-2011 levels. The Houston Toad is a year-round inhabitant when it is found, although its presence can be most easily detected during the breeding season when males can be heard. Males usually call in or near shallow water or small hills of earth or grass surrounded by water. Males occasionally call wooded habitats located within a radius of about 100 meters of breeding ponds. The call is a high clear triller that lasts 20-30 seconds The reputation resembles that of the American toad (Anaxyrus americanus), but is usually a little higher in height. The American toad is in Texas, but north of the Houston Toad`s range. Stout is one of dozens of biologists and employees at the Houston Zoo, Texas State University and the United States. Fish and Wildlife Service, which has been putting thousands of Houston toad eggs in the pond since late February. The Houston Zoo has laid eggs from its captive toad colony in the pond every two weeks and will do so until the end of the breeding season, towards the end of May. Landowners who want to do more for the Houston Toad can apply for a Safe Harbor agreement that allows them to take conservation measures such as mandatory combustion, protection of small ponds essential for rearing, and prevent overexploitation of grasslands by farms or farms, said Meredith Longoria, Texas Parks and Wildlife`sGame`s Nongame and Rare Program Supervisor. She pointed out that the vast majority of Houston toads` habitat is on private land and that their protection requires the cooperation of landowners. Habitat loss and change are the biggest threats to the Houston Toad.
The transformation of woodlands for agriculture and urbanization has reduced the wooded and wetland areas that support the Houston Terrestrial Toad.
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