Woodhouse's toad is the common "hop-toad" of much of the central part of the US. It ranges throughout central and east Texas, western Louisiana and Arkansas, all of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, westward into eastern New Mexico and Colorado, and northward into the Dakotas, Wyoming, and Montana. It is sympatric in many areas with other species of Bufo, including the American toad, the gulf coast toad, and the great plains toad. Woodhouse's toad is adaptable to urban and suburban areas, and is often found on porches and decks, feeding on insects that are attracted to porchlights. Although the toads are not very fast or agile, they are effective predators, and can easily catch moths, beetles, worms, and other soft-bodied invertebrates.

Woodhouse's toad is variable in color, and is often recognized by eliminating similar species that have more distinctive markings. They tend to have a drab gray-brown background color, usually with a light mid-dorsal stripe, and usually with one to several "warts" inside darker blotches on the skin. The skin of the belly is usually unmarked. There is no sexual dimorphism in color, but females tend to grow larger than males. Typical body size is 2.5 to 4 inches, with occasional specimens up to 5 inches.

The skin of toads is typically dry and rough relative to that of frogs, which often have smooth slimy skin. Both frogs and toads have noxious secretions on the skin surface which serve as a predator-avoidance mechanism. The skin secretion of some South American frogs is so toxic that natives use it as poison on arrow and dart tips (the "poison arrow frogs). North American toads are not so toxic, but you should wash your hands after handling them to remove the secretions.

Toads and frogs are members of the amphibian order Anura, which means "no tail". The body form of frogs and toads is specialized in many respects for their unusual method of locomotion. The body is shortened and relatively wide, and the hind legs are large and powerful, while the front legs tend to be shorter and more delicate. Some small frogs (such as cricket frogs) can jump many times their body length in a single jump. Toads tend to be less athletic, but can still jump respectable distances. The pelvis of frogs and toads is highly modified for attachment of the jumping muscles, and the bones of the tail are fused to form the urostyle, which is combined with the pelvis and serves as a site for muscle attachment.