Texas Toad uses toe as lure

[John]

Tonight I was cleaning out the container that has a species of Bufo toadlet in it (not Texas toads). I put the toadlets, 13 of them, in a jar and placed it on top of the nearby adult Texas Toad terrarium (Bufo speciosus). I went about my cleaning and when I came back there was a male Texas Toad looking up at the toadlets on the jar and I chuckled because he was obviously interested in eating them. Then I noticed he was standing absolutely still and flicking one of his hind leg's toes up and down randomly. For a second I was dumbstruck but then I remembered hearing somewhere that some toads will do this to attract prey within reach of their mouths. I didn't know this species did it but there you go. I startled him and he stopped, so I went away for a minute and came back and there he was doing it again. Interesting stuff.

[Kurt]

My Colorado River toad does it all the time. I have also seen this behavior in pac-man frogs and, if you can believe this, blue poison dart frogs.

[SludgeMunkey]

I have seen this with Pac-man frogs also. I admit at the time I had no idea what it was doing it for. These animals never cease to amaze me.

[SludgeMunkey]

I just got finished watching female Bufo nebulifer doing the same thing. Longest digit on the hind foot "tapping". It appears I have a left handed female and and right handed female.

I have not observed the males doing this yet.

[John]

The Texas Toad I saw doing it was male. Interesting point about the handedness - I wonder if amphibians can be "handed".

[SludgeMunkey]

That is a very good question about "handedness". I have no idea how or if it is true with frogs, but I have witnessed Old World Chameleons that show preference when sleeping. Some always have the left front foot first on the branch, others the right.

What I wonder about with toads is, is this truly a luring tactic or just a nervous recation, like the tip of a cat"s tail when hunting. I wonder only because in B. nebulifer literature states their diet in the wild is primarily coleoptera. Other than tiger beetles and caterpillar hunters, I am unsure how effective baiting would be.

[John]

It truly is a luring tactic.

[coltiger]

All my toads do that with their toes. It is also a good sign that your toad is alert and healthy. I had a European Green Toad that my wife named Twinkle...not sure why but she said it was cause she thought it was cute doing the toe thing.lol

[nicodimus22]

My baby Fowler's toads have done this too. They will spot a bug, sneak along like a cat, and their toes will just freak out. At first I was a little concerned, as it looked like a possible neurological problem to me, but then I read of some other people's toads doing the same thing. Just one of those weird little habits.

[John]

It's pretty standard behavior for any Bufo relative, including Dart Frogs (which are closer to Toads than frogs, phylogenetically).

[Greg M]

My Woodhouse's toads all do this, many times without apparently looking at the prey item. As soon as it moves though, the prey is grabbed. I've always been curious what prey item actually responds to this. The usual domestic fare (Dubia, crickets, etc.) certainly don't - in fact, the roaches usually freeze if anything moves near them, and the movement is too subtle to scare a prey item into moving IMHO. It seems to me that a predatory insect/animal might be the best guess - I could see it attracting smaller frogs/toads, for example...