--- title: "Drivers Horrified as Writhing Toads Cover Entire Surface of Road" description: "A mile-and-a-half wide swarm of hundreds of thousands of tiny toads reportedly overtook a stretch of road in Utah last week." date: "2023-07-26" modified: "2023-07-26" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/toad-road" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "amphibians" - "frogs" - "the digest" - "toads" --- # Drivers Horrified as Writhing Toads Cover Entire Surface of Road ![A mile-and-a-half wide swarm of hundreds of thousands of tiny toads reportedly overtook a stretch of road in Utah last week.]() *24 March 2023, Saxony, Leipzig: A common toad (Bufo bufo) sits on a road at the edge of town. Every year, the protected amphibians migrate from their wintering grounds to spawning waters. They are often run over in the process. Due to the drought of recent years, their population in Saxony has declined sharply. Photo: Sebastian Willnow/dpa (Photo by Sebastian Willnow/picture alliance via Getty Images) \Image: Getty Images\* ## Toad Work Ahead The toads cometh. In an incident that's been described by one witness as "toad-mageddon," a mile-and-a-half wide swarm of tiny toads reportedly overtook a stretch of highway in Stockton, Utah last week, causing a temporary traffic stand-still as drivers waited for the [froggy critters]() to cross the road. "I noticed that the road itself was moving," driver Mary Hulet [told Utah outlet *KSL News*](). "As I looked and I kind of focused on it, I realized that these were frogs or toads that were crossing the road." “We aren't talking like 10 toads. We're talking like thousands of toads crossing the road," Hulet added. "I'm like, 'Is this like toad-mageddon? What in the world is going on here?'" Judging from videos, toad-mageddon doesn't seem too far off. Per *KSL*, experts estimate that the amphibious mass was comprised of hundreds of thousands of toads, which we can only imagine was a remarkable — if somewhat terrifying — sight to behold. ## Leaving the Nest Wildlife professionals were as flabbergasted by the mass migration as the public was. Though the species of toad, confirmed to be the Great Basin spadefoot, is native to the area, and they do migrate, this degree of mass migration is apparently highly unusual. "The word Biblical came to mind," Chris Crockett, the aquatics manager at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, told *KSL.* "It's completely natural, but I would definitely say that was a pretty spectacular event," he continued. "We're probably talking hundreds of thousands of toads." That said, officials do have an explanation: water. Per *KSL*, Utah has gotten a lot of rainfall this year, with a string of recent thunderstorms adding to the deluge. This influx of hydration, experts say, provided ideal breeding conditions for the road toads, which hatch in water before heading up to land. So, these hundreds of thousands of toads were likely all fledglings, attempting to cross the road as they left their watery nurseries. (And no, sadly, not everyone made it.) "These juvenile toads decided it was a good time to leave their area and out-migrate into some of these surrounding hills," Crockett told *KSL*. "It's just a great example of how dependent most of the species in Utah are on good water years." **More on biblical amphibians:** [*Experts Alarmed by Teen Breeding Millions of Frogs for "Frog Army"*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()