Natural History:
The Cuban Giant Toad is not commonly seen in Cuba although it can be found throughout the eastern portion of the island and Isla de la Juventud off the western coast of Cuba. This species of toad is adaptive and can be found in a wide variety of habitats such as farmer's fields, woodlands, savannahs and even xerophyte scrublands. During the breeding season however, Cuban Giant Toads congregate near water where the male sits by the water's edge calling for females.
The Cuban Giant Toad is not a species at risk and there is little to no significant threat to their population. That being said, they are susceptible to the growth of agricultural areas over what was once prime habitat. These agricultural areas also bring pesticides which can be detrimental to the toad's health. Other factors that may reduce the toad's population is the introduction of the invasive Cane Toad from South America which often competes for resources with the Cuban Giant Toad as do other species within the genus Peltophryne.
Many species of toad within the genus have similar characteristics with many individuals being hard to differentiate between. For this reason there has been the suggestion for a robust species delimitation approach to determine whether they can be considered separate species or whether they are closer related.
The genus of this species has been under much debate as it was once considered to be Bufo but has since changed to Peltophryne which many papers argue to be a subgenus. It is widely acknowledged as an actual genus although there are some who do consider it a subgenus instead.
Anecdotal:
while in the Zapata swamp of Cuba my father and I went on a guided night hike with a Cuban Angora veteran who now works for Zapata National Park. After finding a plethora of trope snakes and Cuban Treefrogs we heard a loud almost mechanical sound on the distance. The guide said it belonged to the "bufe frogs" so we walked towards the sound and had to climb under barbed wire fences which my father was less then thrilled about. We eventually came across a temporary pool in a forested cow pasture when the calls died down. We all turned off our torches and waited for the calls to start up again. We turned our lights back on and slowly walked across the edge of the pond. It was the guide that found them and he called over to me when he did. I was on the other side of the pond and when I heard he found them I came trudging through the water in my running shoes (that smelt like a cow pasture for the rest of the trip) to where the guide was. Sure enough there were two of the largest toads I had ever seen just sitting in the darkness. I took my photos and once we left the noise started up again.
The Cuban Giant Toad is not commonly seen in Cuba although it can be found throughout the eastern portion of the island and Isla de la Juventud off the western coast of Cuba. This species of toad is adaptive and can be found in a wide variety of habitats such as farmer's fields, woodlands, savannahs and even xerophyte scrublands. During the breeding season however, Cuban Giant Toads congregate near water where the male sits by the water's edge calling for females.
The Cuban Giant Toad is not a species at risk and there is little to no significant threat to their population. That being said, they are susceptible to the growth of agricultural areas over what was once prime habitat. These agricultural areas also bring pesticides which can be detrimental to the toad's health. Other factors that may reduce the toad's population is the introduction of the invasive Cane Toad from South America which often competes for resources with the Cuban Giant Toad as do other species within the genus Peltophryne.
Many species of toad within the genus have similar characteristics with many individuals being hard to differentiate between. For this reason there has been the suggestion for a robust species delimitation approach to determine whether they can be considered separate species or whether they are closer related.
The genus of this species has been under much debate as it was once considered to be Bufo but has since changed to Peltophryne which many papers argue to be a subgenus. It is widely acknowledged as an actual genus although there are some who do consider it a subgenus instead.
Anecdotal:
while in the Zapata swamp of Cuba my father and I went on a guided night hike with a Cuban Angora veteran who now works for Zapata National Park. After finding a plethora of trope snakes and Cuban Treefrogs we heard a loud almost mechanical sound on the distance. The guide said it belonged to the "bufe frogs" so we walked towards the sound and had to climb under barbed wire fences which my father was less then thrilled about. We eventually came across a temporary pool in a forested cow pasture when the calls died down. We all turned off our torches and waited for the calls to start up again. We turned our lights back on and slowly walked across the edge of the pond. It was the guide that found them and he called over to me when he did. I was on the other side of the pond and when I heard he found them I came trudging through the water in my running shoes (that smelt like a cow pasture for the rest of the trip) to where the guide was. Sure enough there were two of the largest toads I had ever seen just sitting in the darkness. I took my photos and once we left the noise started up again.