If you ever find yourself exploring the warm deserts of southern Arizona after a summer rain, you might just be lucky enough to hear or spot the Sonoran Green Toad (Anaxyrus retiformis). This little toad is a desert specialist with a short active season and a pretty incredible ability to blend into its arid surroundings. It’s one of those amphibians that surprises people — not only because it’s rarely seen, but because it’s surprisingly colorful for something that lives in such a dry, tough environment.
Size & Physical Appearance
Sonoran Green Toads are on the smaller side for toads — adults usually range from 1 to 1.5 inches in length. They might be tiny, but they’ve got personality.
Their skin is a pale green or greenish-yellow and covered in a very distinctive dark, net-like pattern (in fact, “retiformis” means “net-shaped”). This gives them almost a mosaic appearance that helps them disappear against desert plants and crusted soil.
Males tend to be a little slimmer and have darker throats, especially during the breeding season when they call. Females are slightly larger and more robust.
Habitat and Range
The Sonoran Green Toad is a species with a pretty specific home range. You’ll find it in the Sonoran Desert region of southern Arizona, mostly in Pima and Cochise counties, and just across the border into northern Mexico.
These toads live in low elevation desert scrub and grassland areas, often in places that seem bone-dry most of the year. They depend heavily on the summer monsoon rains. When the rains hit, they emerge from underground burrows to breed and feed — sometimes for just a few weeks.
So while you probably won’t see one most of the year, they’re there — hiding beneath the surface, waiting for the right conditions.
Diet
Like many small toads, Sonoran Green Toads are mostly insectivores. They eat a variety of small invertebrates including:
- Ants
- Termites
- Beetles
- Small moths
They’re opportunistic feeders, which means they tend to eat whatever they can catch when they’re active — which, again, is mostly during monsoon season. Younger toads and tadpoles may feed on algae and detritus in temporary pools.
Lifespan
In the wild, Sonoran Green Toads probably live around 3 to 5 years, although exact data is limited. Their lives are shaped heavily by weather patterns and rainfall, so survival can be tough from year to year.
In captivity, with proper care, they might live a bit longer, but they’re not commonly kept as pets due to their specialized needs and conservation status.
Identification Tips
It’s easy to mix up the Sonoran Green Toad with other small desert-dwelling toads, but here are a few key clues to help tell them apart:
- Look for the net-like pattern on the back — it’s one of their most distinctive features.
- They’re smaller than Red-spotted Toads or young Sonoran Desert Toads, which are more blotchy and less green.
- Their call is different too: the male Sonoran Green Toad has a long, high-pitched, insect-like trill that’s often described as buzzy — very different from a croak or bellow.
Their small size, fine skin texture, and bright green tones really help them stand out once you know what you’re looking for.
Fun Fact
Believe it or not, this little toad can spend as much as 10 months of the year underground. When it’s not warm and moist enough, it goes into a sort of dormancy called aestivation — basically the desert version of hibernation. It relies on its ability to seal itself underground and wait for the rain, making it a true desert survival expert.
In Summary
The Sonoran Green Toad may not be the most famous amphibian in the United States, but it definitely earns points for being tough, unique, and a bit mysterious. If you’re ever lucky enough to hear that buzzy trill on a warm, rainy Arizona night, take a moment to appreciate one of the desert’s hidden gems.
Want to help them out? If you live in their range, consider preserving native vegetation, minimizing pesticide use, and protecting natural water catchments. Every little bit helps when it comes to species with such a specialized lifestyle.
Keep exploring — you never know what amazing amphibian you’ll learn about next!