Anaxyrus boreas
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie, from original photograph by Gary M. Stolz, USFWS (original photograph in public domain). · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) is a large toad species, between 5.6 and 13 cm (2.2 and 5.1 in) long, native to western North America. A. boreas is frequently encountered during the wet season on roads, or near water at other times. It can jump a considerable distance for a toad. Breeding occurs between March and July in mountainous areas, and as early as January in lower-elevation regions. The female lays up to 17,000 eggs stuck together in strings that adhere to vegetation and other objects along water edges.
It has a white or cream dorsal stripe, and is dusky gray or greenish dorsally with skin glands concentrated within the dark blotches. Its parotoid glands are oval, widely separated, and larger than the upper eyelids. It has a mottled venter and horizontal pupils but lacks cranial crests. Compared to females, males have smoother skin, reduced dorsal blotching, and nuptial pads (thickened skin) on their forefeet during breeding season. In juveniles of this species, the dorsal stripe is weak or absent. Large young have prominent dorsal and ventral spotting and yellow feet.
There are two known subspecies of the western toad and the ranges of... Wikipedia →
Recording0:17
Canada · 2026
© H. Pittel · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Canada · 2024
© Kat Kodiak · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Canada · 2024
© terriperron · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Academy of Sciences | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Northwest Trek Wildlife Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | British Columbia Wildlife Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | The Living Planet Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Curiosity Farms | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Staten Island Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Monterey Bay Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Aquarium of the Bay | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Portland Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Toad sighting in Los Angeles on a given day, based on 967 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 8 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Western Toad in Los Angeles on a given day, against about 10% in August to May, the lowest months. Those are among Los Angeles's driest months, with almost no rain against 75 mm in February.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Toad sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Western Toad sightings, Los Angeles ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Sacramento (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Anura
The closest relatives of the Western Toad that you can see in Los Angeles (order Anura, Frogs and Toads) are American Bullfrog (about 10%), Pacific chorus frog (about 10%) and California Treefrog (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Los Angeles (967 verified sightings), 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.
