- So, we've got Birch here. He's one of the dogs
that has been hanging out with us here at the cabin.
Been playing around with him, he's a fun dog.
Get it!
- A toad!
- And, uh, whoah--
- There's a toad!
- You have it?
(whimsical music)
- Ah. I got it! I got it--
- Mario, go get your camera!
- Hold on a second, I'm gonna put him in my pocket!
Ahhh! He's slidin' all the ways down this hill.
Hold on, I'm comin' up!
I had my phone in my hand.
Oh... yes! Look at this!
Hold on a second! Wait for it...
Oh! (laughing)
Look at that little guy!
That's a Western toad!
Look at that toad. You may be looking at this amphibian,
saying to yourself,
Coyote, why are you so excited about a toad?
What you may not know is that the Western toad
is the only species of toad found in the state of Alaska.
There are no reptiles here,
and there are only six species of amphibians.
Three salamanders, two frogs, and this little bumpy toad.
Now, I do know that this is a male,
and the way I can identify it as such is
look at these four feet.
You see those little pads on the bottom of the feet?
Those are called nuptial pads,
and they use those to help themselves
navigate through the environment.
Now, the females do not have those pads.
Females are larger than the males,
and let's look at this toad's back.
You see that ridge line,
all these bumps that run along the back?
On a female, those are much more pronounced
and reddish in coloration.
You are one handsome little fella, you know that?
Now, these toads are out here
feeding on pretty much anything they can come across,
worms, bugs, slugs, you name it, this toad will eat it.
And this is a completely safe species to capture.
The only thing I've got going on for me right now
that's a defense from this toad is
it's peeing all over my hands.
Little soap and water will wash that up,
and I will be just fine.
You look at this toad and you think to yourself,
Boy, doesn't have any claws, doesn't have any big teeth...
How does he defend himself?
Well as we know, most toad species do have toxins
in their skin that comes from the parotoid gland.
The parotoid glands on this toad are very small,
you can see them just behind the eyeball there,
and he's not doing it now, but when I first caught him,
he puffed up his body to make himself look bigger,
and he was going, "Beep beep beep beep beep beep!"
And they vibrate their bodies.
And that apparently will scare off a predator.
I mean, I imagine if I came in
and grabbed a hold of this toad,
it would shake it's body and make those noises,
I'd be like, "Ooh, I'm not gonna mess with that guy."
Oh! There it was! You gonna chirp again?
Chirp, chirp, chirp!
(chirping)
Hear that?
(chirping)
Yeah, you knew that that's what
we were talking about, didn't you?
(chirping)
Now, they are slightly toxic to the animals
here in this environment, but there are some predators
out there for this amphibian.
Ravens will eat them, eagles, and badgers
have actually been known to consume these toads.
- [Camera Operator] So Coyote, how are these toads
different from the toads back in Ohio?
- Well, I'll tell ya something about the toads
that live up here in Alaska. They're extremely tough.
These animals have to deal with
extremely cold temperatures during the winter.
And what they'll do is burrow down deep in the mud
and some species of amphibians, like the wood frog,
can actually freeze, and then they thaw out in the spring.
Now, I'm not sure whether or not these toads freeze,
but I can just tell that the skin
is much more durable and rugged
than some of the toad species that I find in Ohio.
This is one tough little creature,
if it can survive freezing temperatures up here in Alaska.
You'll also notice that the coloration of this toad
is very light, almost cream-colored,
and that distinct white stripe
that runs along the length of the back.
The toads that I find in Ohio are usually
dark brown in coloration, sometimes even black.
Now, the skin is a little smoother,
and it's also slightly sticky.
That's because they absorb a lot of
their moisture from their environments.
The toads I find in Ohio are much dryer
than this one here.
That is one good lookin' toad.
Now, I was told by Mario, our wildlife biologist,
that you probably don't have a very good chance
of finding any catchable creatures here in Alaska.
But sure enough, I found the one toad species
that can be found in this state.
How cool was that?
I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild!
We'll see ya on the next location!
C'mon buddy, let's get you back into the forest!
- He did it! He caught the only toad in Alaska!
(laughter)
- [Coyote Voiceover] If you enjoyed this
On Location episode, make sure to go back
and watch as the crew and I kissed a moose.
And don't forget, subscribe to the Brave Wilderness channel
so you can join us on our next big adventure!