Wyoming Toad (Anaxyrus baxteri) – Endangered Species

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

The mating season lasts from May to June for the Wyoming Toad. Small groups of male toads gather along the shores of ponds to call to attract female toads. Once the female toad arrives, the male toad grasps the her from behind in amplexus. Next, the female toad lays her eggs and the male toad fertilizes them. Both parents then leave, neither providing any parental care for their offspring. The eggs hatch into tadpoles and take until August to complete their metamorphosis.