Fun Pebble Toad Facts For Kids

If you are looking for a toad to adopt as a pet, then the pebble toad is definitely one you should avoid! However, if you are looking for a fun and unique toad with interesting adaptation techniques, then this is the toad for you!

The pebble toad earned its name because it tended to roll up into a pebble and roll right away from its predators!

Its dark coloration and ridged body also make predators think it is not a toad but a pebble. This interesting technique has made it one of the many animals globally that use camouflage to prevent detection.

The pebble toad is not the only toad with lots of interesting facts about it! There are various other toads and frogs you can read about and increase your knowledge. For example, the oyster toadfish and the poison dart frog are fun toads and frogs to read about. Do not forget to share these facts with your friends!

Pebble Toad Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a pebble toad?

The pebble toad (Oreophrynella nigra) is a type of toad.

What class of animal does a pebble toad belong to?

This species belongs to the class of amphibians.

How many pebble toads are there in the world?

The estimated population range of this species is not known because they can camouflage so well.

Where does a pebble toad live?

This toad dwells on the crest of tepui mountain across the Guiana Highlands of South America. The plants and animals that reside atop such table-topped mountains are cut off from the rest of the rainforest.

What is a pebble toad's habitat?

Rocks, peat bogs, and rocks in montane tepui settings at altitudes of 7,500-8,900 ft (2,286-2,712.7 m) are its natural habitats. The Oreophrynella nigra, belongs to the Bufonidae family of toads. It is only found in the Guiana Highlands of Bolvar State in Venezuela.

Who do pebble toads live with?

Although toads are typically solitary creatures, enormous toads congregate at certain breeding lakes, where males compete for females during the breeding season. Likewise, bullfrogs are mainly solitary creatures, except during the breeding season when adult frogs congregate. However, toads prefer to live alone.

How long does a pebble toad live?

Although the life span of these toads has not been determined, most toad species have a life expectancy of 5-10 years.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding habits of these frogs have been called into question. Conversely, cooperative nesting has been seen in Kukenan tepui communities, with clutches of 8-35 eggs.

On the other hand, others claim that the tunnels belonged to arthropods and that these amphibians do not have such a complex and social breeding system, preferring instead to deposit their eggs in clusters of 8-13 eggs beneath moss and rock. The maturation of the eggs takes place in stages.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the Venezuela pebble toad is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Golden toads, which are related to Oreophrynella nigra toads, have been declared Extinct.

Pebble Toad Fun Facts

What do pebble toads look like?

The head is significantly longer than it is wide. The length of the eye-snout is less than the size of the eye. The snout is truncated in profile with a thin, steep canthal crest and a flat, non-tuberculate loreal section.

There are no crests or teeth on the head. The tongue is round and linked to the front of the mouth.

The legs and arms are both frail. The ankle reaches just above the shoulder when the leg is pushed against the torso. The body is totally black on the dorsal and ventral sides, with no patterning.

How cute are they?

This small toad does not appear to be cute. On the other hand, toads do something completely different to other animals. They curl up by tightening muscles like a ball and launch themselves down the hillside like a ball.

How do they communicate?

Toads, like humans, have vocal cords and they also have a voice sac, which acts like an inflated amplifier. In addition, toads have a unique mating call that attracts females of their own species.

How big is a pebble toad?

The spadefoot toad is substantially larger than the Oreophrynella nigra with a length of 0.65-1.18 in (16.5-30 mm), measuring up to 1.6-3.1 in (40.6-78.7 mm) in length.

How fast can a pebble toad move?

The toad's distinctive design lowers the force of contact when it makes its big escape into a safe crevice or puddle down below, despite being a poor diver and jumper.

How much does a pebble toad weigh?

The average weight of these toads is unknown due to a lack of data.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There is no standard term for these male and female toads that can transform into a bouncing ball to escape from predators.

What would you call a baby pebble toad?

Although this toad species does not have a specific name, a baby toad is commonly referred to as a tadpole.

What do they eat?

They like regions with a modest amount of plants coming out of otherwise barren rock faces. They are either black or dark brown in color and devour a variety of insects. Tree frogs eat insects such as crickets, ants, flies, beetles, moths, beetles, and other tiny invertebrates, similar to other related species of toads.

Are they poisonous?

The parotoid glands of toads secrete a noxious substance that aids this toad's defense against a predator. A bufotoxin is a chemical that can kill small animals and trigger allergic reactions in people.

Would they make a good pet?

Please do not get them as pets unless you are prepared to commit to a long-term relationship. If you want a toad as a pet, the American toad is a highly adaptable organism that can thrive in the wild as well as in a terrarium environment with no enemies and a suitable reproductive environment.

In addition, they don't require much upkeep, and maintaining an American toad as a pet isn't difficult.

Did you know...

These toads utilize the 'rock and roll' approach. When threatened, the toad tucks its head in and tenses its muscles, curls its legs and arms beneath its body, allowing a ball position.

If it is on an incline which is how it gets it name, it will roll down the slope, escaping the attention of a predator, similar to loose pebbles. It is a unique dark gray and black coloration that some may mistake for dark navy blue and mixes well with its rocky habitat.

This toad was presented on a BBC series called 'Life', being chased by a tarantula spider.

What is the relationship between pebble toads and tarantulas?

Because it is most likely resting at an elevation, these amphibians roll downhill like a strewn stone. The toads migrate far enough to avoid the tarantula's attention, and they frequently fall into a crack or hole where they are hidden or hard to reach.

Though there are no snakes on the tepui, this toad's lack of athletic ability renders it vulnerable to ambush predators such as tarantulas.

Who discovered the pebble toad?

Due to a lack of information on the species, it is not known who had discovered the toad in the first place. However, it is generally assumed that biologists discovered this toad in the late 19th century.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these tree frog facts and bullfrog facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable pebble toad coloring pages.