Houston toad
Anaxyrus houstonensis (Sanders, 1953)
CRCritically Endangeredfrogs and toads
The houston toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis) is a species in the family Bufonidae, order Anura. Its IUCN Red List status is Critically Endangered.
Quick facts about the houston toad
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- up to 7.9 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 4.4 years
- Main food
- arthropods, flowers, leavessrc for Main food
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3,356 – 6,199src for Young per litter or clutch
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Conservation status
- Critically Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the houston toad
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the houston toad live?
Not recorded
What is the houston toad?
The Houston toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis), formerly Bufo houstonensis, is an endangered species of amphibian that is endemic to Texas in the United States. This toad was discovered in the late 1940s and named in 1953. It was among the first amphibians added to the United States List of Endangered Native Fish and Wildlife and is currently protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 as an endangered species. The Houston toad was placed as "endangered" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species from 1986 to 2022, and has worsened to "critically endangered" since then, with fewer than 250 mature individuals believed to remain in the wild as of 2021. Their kind is threatened every day as they continue to suffer from a loss of habitat and extreme drought. Their typical life expectancy is at least 3 years but it may exceed this number.
From the Wikipedia article “Houston toad” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Houston_toad&oldid=1384420039), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the houston toad endangered?
The houston toad is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Critically Endangered species. What the categories mean.
How is the houston toad classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAmphibia
- orderAnura
- familyBufonidae
- genusAnaxyrus
- SpeciesAnaxyrus houstonensis (Sanders, 1953)
Synonyms Bufo americanus houstonensis, Bufo houstonensis
Other names and names in other languages (8)
- ropucha houstonskáCzech
- HoustonkröteGerman
- Sapo de HoustonSpanish
- Crapaud de HoustonFrench
- ヒューストンヒキガエルJapanese
- HoustonpadDutch
- Sapo-de-HoustonPortuguese
- Хьюстонская жабаRussian
Relatives of the houston toad
Other species in the same genus Anaxyrus.
American toad
Anaxyrus americanus
Western toad
Anaxyrus boreas
Wyoming toad
Anaxyrus baxteri
Yosemite toad
Anaxyrus canorus
Amargosa toad
Anaxyrus nelsoni
Southern toad
Anaxyrus terrestris
CompareHouston toad vs American toadHouston toad vs Western toadHouston toad vs Wyoming toadHouston toad vs Yosemite toad
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
Is the houston toad endangered?
The houston toad is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
What does the houston toad eat?
Its recorded main food is arthropods, flowers and leaves.
What kind of animal is the houston toad?
The houston toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis) belongs to the family Bufonidae in the order Anura.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits · CC BY 4.0 · v1
Oliveira, B.F., São-Pedro, V.A., Santos-Barrera, G., Penone, C. & Costa, G.C. (2017) AmphiBIO, a global database for amphibian ecological traits. Scientific Data 4: 170123. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.123. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4644424.v5 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Houston toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/houston-toad
“Houston toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/houston-toad.
@misc{houston_toad_2026,
title = {Houston toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/houston-toad},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}