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Texas Toad

The Texas toad, Anaxyrus (Bufo) speciosus, was made the State Amphibian of Texas in 2009 and was noted for its “Buddha-like visage.”

Texas Toad

The word “bufo” means toad in Latin. It was used as the genus name for toads all over the world by Linnaeus in the 1700s. More recently (particularly in 2006), scientists have realized that not all toads are closely related to each other. To recognize the differences among toads in the Americas, they have been placed into different genera, including Anaxyrus, Rhinella and Incilius. We included Bufo in parentheses because many biologists (including teachers) learned the name Bufo and may not recognize Anaxyrus.

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