THE HAWKEYE (Burlington, Iowa) 08 August 08 A Toad's Tale - Five-legged toad named Hex croaks his way into Danville family's hearts. (Megan Spees)
Danville: The Schwartz farm is hopping with toads this time of year. But one special amphibian wandered into the family's garage July 30 and into the hearts of Clay Schwartz, 11, and his mother, Connie.
This Eastern American toad doesn't move like most of its rough-skinned kin, with two back legs, three front legs and a short, stubby limb that doesn't appear to serve a purpose.
"At first I thought he was just hopping really weird, because he's kind of lopsided," Clay said.
The toad is only about two inches long, leading Schwartz to believe it may not be very old. However, an adult Eastern American toad usually doesn't grow much bigger than 3 1/2 inches, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
Schwartz contacted Karen Kinkead, a monitoring and research biologist with the Iowa DNR official. Multiple limbs are more common among leopard frogs, but Kinkead had never observed such a case involving an American toad. She urged Schwartz to submit details to a U.S. Geological Survey Web site that documents amphibian abnormalities.
Runoff of pollutants from Lake Geode, located near the Schwartzes' property, may have produced the toad's remarkable features.
"People don't think too much about it (the link between pollutants and amphibian abnormalities) because you don't see it often," Schwartz said. "And when it starts to occur more frequently, these agencies take note of it."
With E.coli levels reaching an alarming high as early as 2000, Iowa DNR has warned the public of the dangers of coming in contact with the water at Lake Geode. Numerous studies have been conducted at the lake's watershed by Geode Resource Conservation and Development, a local initiative partnering with the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation Department and Iowa DNR.
Finn Pillsbury, a doctoral student in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology Management's Sustainable Agriculture Program at Iowa State University, said amphibian abnormalities have become increasingly common in the Midwest during the last decade. But the exact cause of this phenomena remains a mystery.
"It is thought to be a combination of different factors, such as disease, pollutants and radiation," Pillsbury said. "Frog eggs develop in water, so they are quite sensitive to water quality."
These factors also may play a role in the decline of the amphibian population, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Environmental Quality Program Web site. At present, 23 amphibian species are classified as endangered or threatened, and 10 are waiting to be listed. The exact causes for the decline of frog and salamander numbers have not yet been identified. Possible causes may include climate changes, including acid rain, ultraviolet radiation, drought and ozone layer depletion; loss of wetlands; invasive predators like trout and bullfrogs; disease or parasites; and pollution from pesticides, fertilizers, heavy metals and other sources.
Schwartz and her son hate the thought of turning the toad in for experimental use. They hope to keep it as a pet, feeding it crickets purchased from the Coral Reef in Burlington and possibly showing it in area science classes.
"We've got plenty of toads, but this guy is special," Schwartz said.
Five-legged toad named Hex croaks his way into Danville family's hearts