Common Name: Yosemite Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus canorus
Family: Bufonidae – True Toad family
Locations: United States – California
Size: 3.3 inches (84 mm)
The Yosemite Toad lives in the central Sierra Nevada mountain range at elevations between 8,500 – 10,000 feet. These toads are a diurnal species, active during the day compared to most toads, that are active at nocturnal. They live long for a toad species, capable of living 15 years. The trade-off is that toads take a while to reach sexual maturity, over 3 years.
The breeding season is from May to August. Typical breeding sites are shallow pools and small, slow moving streams. The male toads travel to these ponds once the breeding season start. Then, they will start to call to attract the female toad. Once the female toad arrives, the male toad grasps her from behind in the amplexus position. Then, the female toad lays her eggs and the male toad will fertilize them. The female toad is capable of laying between 15000 to 2000 eggs. These females toads do not mate every year, another trade-off from their long lives. Neither of the parents provide any care for their offspring. The males and female toads look very different compared to each other.
Yosemite Toad Conservation
The Yosemite Toad is listed as a federally threatened species by the United States government. It is most likely going to be added to the endangered species list. The toad is already listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. There are a lot of reasons for the decline in the toad’s population numbers. Habitat degradation by cattle grazing is one of the main reasons. Other reasons include the introduction of non-native game fish, droughts increased by climate change, and possibly climate change. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) designated 1.8 million acres of land as a protected area for the Yosemite Toad and other threatened species.