Crested Toad (Rhinella margaritifera), Loreto, Peru

The dominant leaf litter inhabiting toads here in the upper Amazon Basin of Peru are known as the "South American Common Toad" or "Crested Toad" (Rhinella margaritifera). I wanted to share another image as I've been shooting these guys, as many as I can find, for several years now. There is no doubt that this group is comprised of a complex of similar species...someone needs to wade in a straighten out a lot of little toads (we think there are at least 7 species in the Iquitos region alone). It will be a lot of hard work. These amphibians can attain a size somewhere between a tennis ball and a soft ball - females are typically a little bigger than males and develop the extravagant crests that the species is known for - as with the individual here.