Moisten hands before handling animals. Dry hands can wipe off the protective slime that covers some amphibians. Plastic trays and bags can serve to temporarily house animals while they are being identified. Teams plot the location of each animal on their section maps. When the searchers return at the end of the survey their sightings are plotted on a map so everyone can see the distribution patterns of the animals that were observed.
Toads are often abundant but can still present a challenge to correctly identify.
The only way to distinguish between these two is to hold them in the hand. With a firm grip on a hind thigh you're in a position to count the warts in the spots on the back and to inspect how close the tiny cranial ridges are to the parotid glands. Hands should be moistened when handling amphibians, such as this Mud Salamander. Effectiveness of the survey A single survey will certainly not provide you with a complete list of all the herp species in your area. And you'll tally just a small fraction of the numbers of individual herps.