The American Toad, sometimes called the Southern Toad, has been used as a paradigm in children's tales and is commonly seen among today's popular culture. This toad should NOT be confused with the Southern Toad (Bufo terrestris), which is also found in the United States.

The American Toad is largely nocturnal. They spend much of their day either in burrows or hiding in some other location. At dusk, they become more active and are commonly seen feeding at this time. Their diets in the wild consist of spiders, grubs worms, and other insects and invertebrates. Like most toads, the American Toad will eat anything that moves and fits into its mouth. Their natural habitat includes meadows, deciduous forests, and grasslands. They do quite well on dry land, so long as it is moist, but they must be near water to breed. This species will only breed in water. It is also not unusual to see the American Toad in urban areas. This species is most active between April and November; during the colder winter months they are usually borrowed underground.

The American Toad is fairly large, with males being smaller (5 to 7.5 centimeters at maturity) than females (7 to 10 centimeters at maturity). Males can also be distinguished from females by their dark throats and horny tubercles seen on their first and second fingers. The American Toad has a large head with gold speckled eyes and a short snout. Healthy, properly nourished specimens have very plump bodies. They are usually brown with a light dorsal strip. They are also occasionally seen in a reddish brown color, gray, and olive. They have short strong legs with large spiny warts present on the hind legs. Large paratoid glands can be easily seen. American Toads have black spots on their skin and within these spots, warts are found. The number of warts per spot is often used as a method of distinguishing one type of frog from another. The American Toad typically has one or two warts per spot.

The American Toad is commonly found in the United States, particularly the eastern regions and can also be found in Northeastern Canada.

American Toads need something to burrow in; moist unfertilized peat makes a good substrate for this reason. They also need a place to hide, so hide spots made from rocks etc are needed. Lastly make sure that water is available at all times. A small dish of water that is larger enough for drinking and soaking will work fine.

The American Toad breeds between the months of February and March to May. Actual breeding time is largely temperature dependent. This species will only breed in water and is commonly seen breeding in temporary pools of water. After breeding, the female will typically lay two long strings of eggs in the water. Tadpoles will generally undergo metamorphosis within three weeks. Babies do best on a diet of winged prey such as flies. Worms and grubs are also good. Though some may feed ants and rolly pollies, these might not be the best choices.