List of Toad Species (as many as we can document!)
American Toad
The American Toad, Bufo americanus, is divided into two subspecies, the Eastern American Toad, B. a. americanus, and the Dwarf American Toad, B. a. charlesmithi. The Eastern American Toad is a medium sized toad usually found in the range from 2 to over 3 1/2 inches. The color and pattern is somewhat variable. The Eastern American Toad has spots that contain only one - two warts. It also has enlarged warts on the tibia or lower leg below the knee. While the belly is usually spotted, it is generally more so on the forward half (in some rare individuals there may be few or no spots). Other species which may be confused with the Eastern American Toad are Fowler's Toad, which has three or more warts in the largest dark spots, and in the far west of its range Woodhouse's Toad. This species will give you the most trouble. It never has a spotted belly and both cranial crests touch the parotid glands. In the Eastern American Toad they almost never touch the parotid glands.
Canadian Toad
The Canadian Toad is a medium sized toad attaining lengths around 3 inches. The color of these can be variable, ranging from brown to green and sometimes even reddish. Its warts are brown or reddish. The most distinctive feature of this species is its interorbital cranial ridges or crests. These unite to form a unique raised "boss" (prominent bump) between the eyes. This is also the case with the Great Plains Toad, but in this species the crests unite on the snout.
Often times the parotid glands on Canadian Toads may be hard to discern due to indistinct boundaries, particularly on dark individuals most commonly seen during the spring breeding season. The ventral surface of the Canadian Toad is often spotted against a light background. The Canadian Toad is one of the few species of amphibians with a predominantly Canadian distribution.
Western Toad
There are three subspecie of the Western Toad; the Boreal Toad, B. b. boreas; the California Toad, B. b. halophilus; and the Amargosa Toad, B. b. nelsoni. The characteristics of this toad are the lack of cranial crests and the light middorsal stripe running down the back. These characters usually separate this toad from other species. The parotid glands are relatively small and round to oval shaped. The warts are set in dark bltoches and are sometimes a red or rust color. Western Toad juvenile Bufo boreas boreas. They are a fairly large toad reaching lengths up to 5 inches. When metamorphosing however, they are a very small toad being only about 1/2 inch in length. The middorsal stripe may be very faint to non-existent.
Wyoming Toad
The Wyoming Toad, B. baxteri, was previously considered a subspecies of the Canadian Toad (B. h. baxteri). This species, found along the Laramie and Big Rivers, is federally listed as endangered. The Wyoming Toad looks very silmilar to the Canadian Toad except in that it has a narrower middorsal stripe.
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