Wyoming Toad
Anaxyrus baxteri
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Range and habitat:
The Wyoming toad is native to the Laramie Basin,
which is located in Albany County, Wyoming
Natural diet:
These toads eat insects and other terrestrial
invertebrates. A substantial portion of the Wyoming toad diet consists
of ants.
Size / weight range:
This species grow to be about 3.5 inches
and weigh 2 to 3 ounces.
Interesting facts:
This species was once abundant in the Laramie
Basin, but became extinct in the wild in the early 1990s. The cause of
the toads' extinction is not clearly understood. It is probably from a
combination of effects that came together and produced conditions not
compatible with the toad’s biology. The Toledo Zoo has been a strong partner
in the recovery of this species. Because of the Toledo Zoo’s efforts in
partnership with the U.S. F&W, WGF, National Fish Hatchery in Saratoga,
and other zoos, the toad is once again present in the Laramie Basin.
The Toledo Zoo partcipates in a Species Survival Plan (SSP), which helps ensure a healthy and genetically diverse zoo population. The has coordinated breedings and releases into the wild, including into the Laramie Basin.
The toad is active from late May to September. The rest of the year it is dormant, hibernating under the ground. In early June, when temperatures rise sufficiently, the toad breeds, with eggs hatching within a few days into a larval form (tadpoles). The tadpoles metamorphose into tiny toads in about thirty days.
Location at The Toledo Zoo:
Amazing Amphibians exhibit in the Museum of Science
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