Anaxyrus punctatus
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie, from original photograph by Gary M. Stolz, USFWS (original photograph in public domain). · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The red-spotted toad (Anaxyrus punctatus), formerly Bufo punctatus, is a toad in the family Bufonidae found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is a small toad species growing to 3.7 to 7.5 cm (1.5 to 3.0 in) in length. It has a flattened head and body, and a light grey, olive or reddish brown dorsum with reddish or orange skin glands. It has a whitish or buff venter with or without faint dark spotting, and round parotoid glands. The snout is pointed. The juvenile toad looks similar to the adult, but has more prominent ventral spotting and the undersides of its feet are yellow. The male red-spotted toad has a dusky throat and develops nuptial pads during the breeding season.
It may hybridize with the western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) in some locations, possibly with other toad species too. It is docile and easily handled with little or no skin gland secretions. This toad is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, especially Baja California. It occurs primarily along rocky streams and riverbeds, often in arid or semi-arid regions. It is very localized on the coastal slope, but widespread... Wikipedia →
Recording0:24
United States · 2021
© Chris Harrison · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording1:08
United States · 2024
© ocnchikergirl · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Mexico · 2022
© Bill Levine · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | The Living Planet Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Red-spotted Toad sighting in Big Bend National Park on a given day, based on 82 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 8 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Red-spotted Toad in Big Bend National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, the lowest month. That is one of Big Bend National Park's wettest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 10 mm in April.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-spotted Toad sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Red-spotted Toad sightings, Big Bend National Park ranks 4th at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Saguaro National Park (United States, about 30%), Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 30%) and Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-spotted Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Big Bend National Park (82 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
