I have to admit that I’ve struggled with myself over whether or not to write about this series of photos. This look at the crumpled remains of a frog is kind of gross…but so very fascinating! Whatever animal had this toad for dinner left behind the skin, part of the spinal column, and other tissue that I cannot name. As for the toad ID…well, we all love a good mystery!

So, here we go…

This is what I saw when I walked out my side door onto the driveway one morning back in October. At a glance, it was odd enough to warrant closer inspection. When I realized this was a mostly inside-out skin of a toad – I heard myself say, “Eewww,” even as I started snapping pictures.

This is a closeup of “View One.” I can clearly see on its feet three – maybe four – toes. To the right of the foot, I think we’re looking at the underside of the skin that used to be the face. Is that en eyelid? It’s been a really long time since frog dissections in school – and I don’t think we ever looked at ’em quite like this.

I circled the toad as if it were a crime scene, taking photos from  every angle. I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing this may be a Texas Toad (Bufo speciosus) or a Woodhouse’s Toad (Bufo woodhousii). There was no ID on the body [smirk].

This is obviously a front leg here, and the relatively un-mottled, smooth skin is probably the throat and stomach. I think we are actually looking at the toad’s mouth – open at 180° – with the chin side to the left and the face side to the right. Suddenly the cookies I’m snacking on are less appealing.

This is where it gets really interesting, as we can see part of the spinal column. We can also see that the toad has 4 toes for sure.

The perpetrator’s modus operandi included taking the head in its mouth, breaking the neck, and stripping the skin right off. That’s my theory, anyway. I know that we have possums around my house – and I tried to find out if possums eat toads…but couldn’t come up with anything definitive. I think it’s safe to say that a possum could definitely have done this. Whomever the predator was, I wonder if she meant to leave this part of the toad behind? I’m just sayin’ –  there are some perfectly good pieces of bone, gristle, and warty skin!

Did any of you notice this snail in any of the other pictures? He is just barely visible in the first two views, but if you look closely, you will be able to see his tentacles. Actually, I should call the snail Mr. Miss because snails have both male and female parts (they still have to mate). I haven’t been able to ID this snail yet, but I think we can safely assume that it is a detritivore (eats dead plants or animals).

That’s it for this episode of CSI: Toad. Hope you’ve enjoyed it!