A Guide to California's
Reptiles and Amphibians
Sounds of
Amargosa Toad - Anaxyrus nelsoni
(Stejneger, 1893)
(= Bufo nelsoni)
Release Calls A release call is produced by a male toad or an unreceptive female toad when a frog or other animal (including a human hand) grabs it across the back in the position used for mating or amplexus. It's a frog's way of saying "Get off my back! Let go!" In some species of toads, this call is also made during the breeding season when a male toad enters another male toad's territory. The Amargosa Toad is only known to produce a release call. |
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 This is a 14 second recording of the release calls of an Amargosa Toad (sex not determined) made at night in Nye County, Nevada. Insects are heard in the background. |
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| Listen to the release calls of an Amargosa Toad. © Jeff Rice (Listen to more at the Western Soundscape Archive) Recorded with the assistance of Michael Burroughs, USFWS. Not to be used without permission of Jeff Rice. |
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| Short Video | |
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| A toad making a release call when picked up. |
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You can listen to more recordings of Amargosa Toads on the cd that comes with this book: Lang Elliott, Carl Gerhardt, and Carlos Davidson - The Frogs and Toads of North America - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  |
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