in the same manner as for the eastern American toad. The southwestern portion of the Dwarf American toad's range overlaps with that of the Gulf Coast toad. The latter species is distinguished by the presence of a dark lateral stripe as well as a deep "valley" between its prominent cranial crests. It eats mainly spiders, worms and small insects. Hudson Bay toad The Hudson Bay toad (A. a. copei) is a rare Canadian subspecies of A. americanus. This subspecies of the American toad has been seen in the northern parts of Ontario where there are a few isolated populations. These northern dwarf toads mostly have the red coloring on the sides of their bodies and have an unusually high number of warts for the subspecies. Interbreeding with eastern American toads caused this subspecies to lose the red coloring on their backs. Inbreeding avoidance Toads display breeding site fidelity, as do many other amphibians. Individuals that return to natal ponds to breed will likely encounter siblings as potential mates. Although incest is possible, Anaxyrus americanus siblings rarely mate. These toads likely recognize and actively avoid close kins as mates. Advertisement vocalizations by males appear to serve as cues by which females recognize their kin. Gallery See also European toad European green toad Japanese toad References External links B. americanus at the United States Geological Survey site USDA – Bufo americanus – United States Department of Agriculture Integrated Taxonomic Information System''. Animal Diversity Web: Bufo americanus Photograph and audio recording of male American toad Anaxyrus Amphibians of the United States Amphibians of Canada Fauna of the Eastern United States Fauna of the Great Lakes region (North America) Amphibians described in 1836 Taxa named by John Edwards Holbrook