Great Plains toad

(Anaxyrus cognatus)

Conservation Status
Great Plains toad
Photo by Jeff LeClere
  IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

 
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

S3 - Vulnerable

 
  Minnesota

Special Concern

Species in Greatest Conservation Need

 
           
 
Description
 
 

Great Plains toad is a large true toad resident in North American grasslands. In the United States it occurs from western Minnesota to eastern Texas, west to Montana and southwestern California, and there is a disjunct population in south-central Colorado. It also occurs in Canada from southwestern Manitoba to southeast Alberta, and in northern and central Mexico. In Minnesota its range is roughly coextensive with the Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands Provinces, extending from Kittson and Roseau Counties in the north to Rock and Blue Earth Counties in the south. It is found in the low damp areas of prairies, grasslands, and agricultural fields, near temporary or permanent bodies of water, including reservoirs, ponds, rain pools, streams, and roadside ditches.

Adult females are 2 to 4½ (49 to 115 mm) in length. Males are a little smaller, 1 to 4 (47 to 103 mm) in length. The body is broad and stocky.

The skin is bumpy. The background color may be brown, gray, or olive. On the upper side there are several elongated dark patches with cream-colored borders. The patches are paired, but one may be a slightly different size and shape than its opposite. Each patch has many small warts, usually four or more. There are similar but smaller spots on the sides of the body and on the legs.

The belly is white or cream-colored and usually unmarked. On some individuals there is a dark breast spot. On males there is a black vocal sac, but this is covered when not in use by a white throat sac.

The snout is short. Behind each eye there is a large oval swelling. These are the paratoid glands, which secrete a toxin to discourage predators. There are 2 cranial ridges between the eyes that meet in the front near the snout, forming a V shape, and connect with a paratoid gland at the rear.

The hind legs are short.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Female: 2 to 4½ (49 to 115 mm)

Male: 1 to 4 (47 to 103 mm)

 
     
 

Voice

 
 

The call of the male is a loud, pulsating, metallic trill lasting 20 to 40 seconds.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Prairies and grasslands near temporary or permanent bodies of water, including reservoirs, ponds, rain pools, streams, and roadside ditches

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Behavior

 
 

Great Plains toads are active from May to September, but individual adults are dormant from two-thirds to three-quarters of the year. They spend most of their time underground, emerging at night to feed. During breeding season, they are also active during the day. They spend short periods of inactivity in burrows no more than 2 (5 cm) deep. In dry periods they burrow deeper to avoid desiccation and may enter into a period of reduced metabolic activity (aestivate).

In wet years they appear aboveground after heavy rains for breeding from early May to mid-July. After breeding, adults disperse up to three quarters of a mile from the breeding site. They emerge about an hour before dusk to feed if the weather is favorable. If it is dry, they remain underground. In dry years they may remain underground year-round, skipping the breeding season.

 
     
 

Lifespan

 
 

5 to 8 years in the wild

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

Eggs are deposited in clear shallow water.

In August and September adults move into overwintering burrows 29 to 41 (74 to 104 cm) deep.

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

Moth larvae (cutworms), flies, beetles, ants, and other insects.

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 6, 14, 24, 29, 30, 60, 73, 76, 78.

Great Plains toad is reported to be resident in Kittson and Marshall Counties (light green on the map), but there are no records from those counties.

 
  2/15/2023      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Class Amphibia (amphibians)  
  Superorder Batrachia (amphibians)  
  Order Anura (frogs and toads)  
  Suborder Neobatrachia  
  Superfamily Hyloidea  
 

Family

Bufonidae (true toads)  
 

Genus

Anaxyrus (North American toads)  
       
 

This species was formerly classified Bufo cognatus. In 2006 all North American true toads (family Bufonidae) were transferred out of the genus Bufo by Frost et al., and several new genera were created.

 
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Bufo cognatus

Bufo dipternus

Chilophryne cognata

Incilius cognatus

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

Great Plains toad

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Aestivate

A period of reduced metabolic activity in the summer, similar to hibernation.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Jeff LeClere

 
    Great Plains toad      
           
 
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Other Videos
 
  Great Plains Toad (Anaxyrus cognatus)
AnnRan
 
   
 
About

Aug 13, 2017

Great Plains Toad (Anaxyrus cognatus) calling his little heart out!

It's monsoon season in AZ, and the roadside ditches and low spots fill with water, creating temporary ponds. The toads waste no time taking advantage of the situation. We found this amazing creature and his friends on State Line Road in the Portal, AZ area.

We were driving down the road, windows rolled up, and I could hear the sound of toads calling. When I rolled my window down the volume was incredible! The video does not do it justice, it was LOUD out there! The type of sound that you feel through your entire body. The volume of sound that one toad could make was mind-boggling. The visual of the throat sac, plus the volume, was so impressive, I had a hard time trying not to laugh while I was recording. CaliforniaHerps.com describes it well: "The call of this toad is an explosive jackhammer-like metallic trill lasting from 5 seconds to almost a minute. It can be almost deafening when heard from a close distance." Indeed.

Apologies for my poor videography, it was dark, I was trying to hold a flashlight and my camera at the same time. Video captured with a Panasonic Lumix FZ200.

 
  Great Plains Toad (Anaxyrus cognatus), American Prairie Reserve, Montana, USA
Robert Mutch
 
   
 
About

May 25, 2016

Field video of a Great Plains Toad (Anaxyrus cognatus) taken while photographing at the American Prairie Reserve, Montana, USA.

 

 

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  Jeff LeClere
6/11/2008

Location: Watonwan County

Great Plains toad

 
           
 
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Created: 2/15/2023

Last Updated:

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