# Any Toad experts here **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2015, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321 "2015-03-30T04:17:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/1 "2015-03-30T04:17:43Z")
We have a miniature wetland here in Torrance Ca. That I visit occassionaly. What I find odd is that they have not been able to reestablish the western spadefoot toad there. Plenty of habitat for the toad and excellent breeding area. ``` Spadefoot toads were s common here as late as the 1960's that were often over run with them. They lost all of their habitat and disappeared. What I find strange though is that even in the few remaining places where they do have good habitat they have disappeared and show no sign of recovering. I believe they are still pretty common in many other areas not too far from the south bay. The people that run the Madronna Marsh claim that the bull frog is responsible but I don't buy it. Toads don't spend anytime in water unless they are breeding and by that time I think they would be too large for a bull frog to swallow. Any other theories. ``` ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/2 "2015-03-30T05:26:07Z")
Is the claim that the responsibility of the bullfrogs is a matter of predation? Couldn’t it just as plausibly be that they are out-competing the toads for food sources? And if it IS about predation, couldn’t it be that the bullfrogs are chowing down on the toads’ spawn and tadpoles? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/3 "2015-03-30T05:42:51Z")
Missed the edit window: when did the Madrona Marsh finally become open to the public? When I lived there it was always a distant promise that _someday_ we’d be able to walk around and explore. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/4 "2015-03-30T07:43:58Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Missed the edit window: when did the Madrona Marsh finally become open to the public? When I lived there it was always a distant promise that _someday_ we’d be able to walk around and explore. Maybe the last 10 years or so they have been open to the public. They have a large office right across from the wetland for educational putposes. The tree frogs are doing well and they stay near water most of the time. Most of the Bull frogs I have caught have had bellies full of crawfish. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/5 "2015-03-30T13:15:54Z")
It’s hard to rely on my good intentions When my head’s full of things that I can’t mention Wrong Toad… ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/6 "2015-03-30T13:38:46Z")
I need to get out more. I assumed you were talking about this: [http://software.dell.com/products/toad-for-sql-server/](http://software.dell.com/products/toad-for-sql-server/) ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/7 "2015-03-30T13:50:46Z")
Bull frogs are unusual among North American frogs in that they eat some aquatic prey, like fish and tadpoles. Most ranid frogs eat exclusively above or out of the water. Bull frogs, which are not native to the Bay area, are an intrusive species that usually messes up its new environment wherever it goes. They are a plausible culprit for some of the decline in toad population. An additional factor might be that when the physical habitat was restored, some important (to the toads) food species was not restored because it was overlooked. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/8 "2015-03-30T14:00:32Z")
Toads seem to just hop around and when they see a cricket or beetle they walk over and eat it. We used to have huge june bug hatches here each year. The entire ground would sometimes be covered. I can see where the toads may have taken advantage of these hatches to fatten up before they hibernated. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/9 "2015-03-30T14:03:51Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > I need to get out more. > I assumed you were talking about this: [http://software.dell.com/products/toad-for-sql-server/](http://software.dell.com/products/toad-for-sql-server/) Me too. I’m a TOAD for Oracle user. Great product. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/10 "2015-03-30T14:05:52Z")
I have nothing to contribute as far as toads go, except to say I love 'em. I just want to thank **HoneyBadgerDC** for bringing up another beloved SoCal memory. I was a “friend of Madrona Marsh” in the 70s / 80s in so much as a kid/ teenager can be. I remember rallies and marches to save it. \ carry on . . . ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/11 "2015-03-30T14:12:40Z")
I heard a few years ago that frogs and toads were inexplicably dying off, and many credit it to macro environmental factors. Of course, there are skeptics and nay-sayers, but this has been on the radar of the scientific community for years. Just a few links, for your viewing pleasure. > **[EXTINCTION CRISIS FOR AMPHIBIANS / Frogs, toads and other species dying off...](https://www.sfgate.com/green/article/EXTINCTION-CRISIS-FOR-AMPHIBIANS-Frogs-toads-2493325.php)** [http://www.rense.com/general66/bre.htm](http://www.rense.com/general66/bre.htm) > **[Threats To Amphibians In Tropical Regions - SAVE THE FROGS!](https://savethefrogs.com/lessons/threats-amphibians-tropical-regions/)** > > Threats To Amphibians In Tropical Regions Authors: Jean-Marc Hero and Kerry Kriger Published in the Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) 2008 > **[Decline in amphibian populations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_in_amphibian_populations)** > > Since the 1980s, decreases in amphibian populations, including population decline and localized mass extinctions, have been observed in locations all over the world. These declines are known as one of the most critical threats to global biodiversity. > Recent (2007) research indicates the reemergence of varieties of chytrid fungi may account for a substantial fraction of the overall decline. A more recent (2018) paper published in Science confirms this. > Several secondary causes may be involved, i... ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/12 "2015-03-30T14:29:45Z")
Yeah, while restored habitat is crucial, of course, pesticide residues in insects & other food sources can render it moot. No good having a place to live if your own food poisons you each day. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/13 "2015-03-30T15:09:09Z")
> [@JerrySTL](#): > > Me too. I’m a TOAD for Oracle user. Great product. I don’t have it but wish I did. I run my queries thru Infomaker but I opened this thread thinking software. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/14 "2015-03-30T16:29:36Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I have nothing to contribute as far as toads go, except to say I love 'em. I just want to thank **HoneyBadgerDC** for bringing up another beloved SoCal memory. I was a “friend of Madrona Marsh” in the 70s / 80s in so much as a kid/ teenager can be. I remember rallies and marches to save it. > > \ carry on . . . It was a nice area to grow up in. No open spaces for miles to be found now. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/15 "2015-03-30T16:49:09Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > I need to get out more. > I assumed you were talking about this: [http://software.dell.com/products/toad-for-sql-server/](http://software.dell.com/products/toad-for-sql-server/) I did, too. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/16 "2015-03-30T18:44:18Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Maybe the last 10 years or so they have been open to the public. They have a large office right across from the wetland for educational putposes. The tree frogs are doing well and they stay near water most of the time. Most of the Bull frogs I have caught have had bellies full of crawfish. Well of COURSE, if they can’t get Spadefoot toad spawn, they’re going to fill up on crawdads… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/17 "2015-03-30T18:57:03Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > It was a nice area to grow up in. No open spaces for miles to be found now. I remember there was a little gully in the Southwood area with a VERY small pond. IIRC, it was near where Palos Verdes Blvd. meets Linda Dr. Lots of plant life to prevent easy access (there may have also been a chain link fence, but I’m not sure, because Mom would sometimes drive us over there and even climbed down with us at least once), and thick black gooey mud that had a distinctive algae fragrance. We used to go looking for frogs there (little ones, maybe an inch or less long), nut mostly we’d find pollywogs and tadpoles. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/18 "2015-03-30T20:42:00Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I remember there was a little gully in the Southwood area with a VERY small pond. IIRC, it was near where Palos Verdes Blvd. meets Linda Dr. Lots of plant life to prevent easy access (there may have also been a chain link fence, but I’m not sure, because Mom would sometimes drive us over there and even climbed down with us at least once), and thick black gooey mud that had a distinctive algae fragrance. We used to go looking for frogs there (little ones, maybe an inch or less long), nut mostly we’d find pollywogs and tadpoles. On google earth it appears your little gully is still there. I t looks like it may have been over run by mountain bikes with eroded trails. Their does appear to be a muddy small pond in the bottom. I will check it out in the next few days and let you know. Kind of a hip bone shaped area ( very rough description) if we are talking about the same place. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/19 "2015-03-31T00:13:17Z")
We might be. Foot-accessible, just off Redbeam? It’s difficult to see if there’s any water to speak of (of course, in current conditions, there wouldn’t be, anyway). ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-toad-experts-here/716321/20 "2015-03-31T04:42:26Z")
I was looking at a different spot on the map. I know exactly where you are talking about now. I will check it out next time it rains. I am looking to restock my neighborhood with spadefoots. Everyone is so afraid of west nile virus that no one is willing to install small temporary ponds.