RANGE: Central and southeastern Texas

STATUS: The World Conservation Union lists the Houston toad as Endangered. It is listed as an Endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

THREATS: Urbanization, habitat modification, drought, recreational development, road mortality, agriculture, deforestation, predation by introduced fire ants, and increasing temperatures and aridity associated with climate warming trends

Houston toads sure do love the nightlife. They spend daylight hours burrowed in moist, friable sands, emerging to forage, call and mate at night. Their historic range is all of central and southeastern Texas, but only a few scattered populations remain. The reasons their numbers are so small? Urbanization and habitat modification, drought, recreational development, road mortality, agriculture, deforestation, predation by introduced red fire ants (now that’s a horror movie come to life), and increasing temperatures and aridity associated with climate warming trends.