Mab’s Drawlloween Day 12: Toad
My favourite toad is the Fowler’s toad (Anaxyrus fowleri), a little poisonous toad native to eastern North America. According to field guides and conservationists it’s not supposed to be in Ontario past Lake Erie, but I see it all the time in the Ottawa Valley. A lot of critters (and plants and fungi) are moving up here due to climate change and habitat encroachment.
I don’t just love toads because they’re poisonous, I love them because they are perfect. They haven’t needed to evolve in millions of years. They are “sit and wait” hunters, similar to spiders that are ambush predators. They just chill in the dirt and dead leaves and wait for food to come to them. Their whole life is “just bugs”. The creators of “work smarter, not harder”. They have a lot to teach us about patience, strategy, playing dumb, and doing well despite being lazy. Role model material, honestly.