Endangered Species: Wyoming Toad (Anaxyrus baxteri)

Common Name: Wyoming Toad, Baxter’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus baxteri
Family: Bufonidae – True Toad family
Location: United States – Wyoming
Size: 2 inches (50.8 mm)

The Wyoming Frog is a federally listed endangered species in the US. It is only found in the Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming and in captivity. The number of Wyoming Toads started a sharp decline in the 1970s until there was under 50 individuals left. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assesses the toad as Extinct in the Wild due to the low number of individuals left in the wild. It is believed that Chytrid fungus, a fungal infection that suffocates the toad, maybe the reason behind the decline. Other possible reasons for the decline including habitat destruction, toxic pesticide use, and climate change.

Luckily, some toads were brought into captivity to survive and reproduce but because of the fungus still out in its habitat, the toad population hasn’t been able to bounce back. The future of the toad depends on solving the Chytrid fungus crisis.

Mating takes place from May to June. Small groups of males gather along the shores of ponds to call to attract females. Once the female arrives, the males try to grasp the female from behind in amplexus. Next, the female lays her eggs and the males fertilizes them. Neither parent provides any parental care for their offspring. The eggs hatch into tadpoles and take until August to complete their metamorphosis.