Rhinophrynus dorsalis
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The Mexican burrowing toad (Rhinophrynus dorsalis) is the single living representative of the family Rhinophrynidae. It is a unique species in its taxonomy and morphology, with special adaptations to assist them in digging burrows where they spend most of their time. These adaptations include a small pointed snout and face, keratinized structures and a lack of webbing on front limbs, and specialized tongue morphology to assist in feeding on ants and termites underground. The body is nearly equal in width and length. It is a dark brown to black color with a red-orange stripe on its back along with splotches of color on its body. The generic name Rhinophrynus means 'nose-toad', from rhino- (ῥῑνο-), the combining form of the Ancient Greek rhis (ῥίς, 'nose') and phrunē (φρύνη, 'toad').
The Mexican burrowing toad diverged from other amphibians over 190 million years ago and has been evolving independently for a longer period of time than the evolutionary differences between mammals like humans, fruit bats, polar bears and killer whales. Its closest sister group is Pipidae, or the aquatic clawed frogs.
The Mexican burrowing toad has a unique appearance that makes it easy... Wikipedia →
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United States · 2025
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Mexico · 2024
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Mexico · 2024
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Burrowing Toad sighting in Palo Verde National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 12 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.
June
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Mexican Burrowing Toad in Palo Verde National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April and August–February, the lowest months. That is one of Palo Verde National Park's wettest months, with about 380 mm of rain against almost none in February.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mexican Burrowing Toad sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Mexican Burrowing Toad sightings, Palo Verde National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Santa Rosa National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%).
Same order: Anura
The closest relatives of the Mexican Burrowing Toad that you can see in Palo Verde National Park (order Anura, Frogs and Toads) are Stauffer's Tree Frog (about 50%), Mexican Smilisca (about 50%) and Giant Marine Toad (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mexican Burrowing Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Palo Verde National Park (22 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.
