American Toad

American Toad

Anaxyrus americanus

Silhouette: Michael Scroggie, from original photograph by Gary M. Stolz, USFWS (original photograph in public domain). · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Point Pelee National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

126 Verified sightings at Point Pelee National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,398 In all 8 parks
June Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the American Toad

The American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) is a common species of toad found throughout the eastern half of Canada and the United States. Taxonomic treatments in 2006 placed this species in the genus Anaxyrus instead of Bufo.

A. americanus lays eggs in two long ropes of 2,000-20,000 small black eggs (1-2mm in diameter) surrounded by jelly. Egg strings are in shallow water, typically entwined around vegetation or laying on the bottom of the pond.

American Toad eggs hatch into tadpoles in 3-12 days. The hatched tadpoles, while very small, are recognizable by their skinny tails in relation to the size of their round black bodies. They reach adulthood in 50–65 days. When metamorphosis is complete, the "toadlets" may stay in the water for a short period of time before transitioning to be mostly land based. Often times, groups of tadpoles reach the toadlet stage at once and a begin a mass migration to higher ground. Typically, toadlets migrate to shaded areas in the mid-range and upland forests... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Advertisement call0:16

United States · 2017

© Chris Harrison · XC890996 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Distress call0:21

United States · 2015

© Paul Driver · XC961816 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording1:05

United States · 2013

© Jonathon Jongsma · XC137035 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~80%
2 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~70%
3 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~60%
4 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
5 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
6 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
7 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
8 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
2 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
3 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
4 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
5 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
6 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
7 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
8 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
9 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
10 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 National Zoological Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Ecomuseum Zoo 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
3 Minnesota Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
4 Squam Lakes Natural Science Center 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 Toledo Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
6 Philadelphia Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
7 Bayou Safari Wildlife Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
8 Western North Carolina Nature Center 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
9 Como Park Zoo and Conservatory 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
10 Como Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
11 Trailside Museum & Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
12 Blue Hills Trailside Museum Habitats 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
13 National Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
14 Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
15 Snake Discovery: A Reptile Experience 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an American Toad in Point Pelee National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report an American Toad sighting in Point Pelee National Park on a given day, based on 126 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 5 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an American Toad in Point Pelee National Park?

June

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report an American Toad in Point Pelee National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and November–December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an American Toad?

Between 7 and 10 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American 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.

Which relatives of the American Toad live in Point Pelee National Park?

Same order: Anura

The closest relatives of the American Toad that you can see in Point Pelee National Park (order Anura, Frogs and Toads) are Green Frog (about 50%), Northern Leopard Frog (about 20%) and Spring Peeper (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the American Toad sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the American Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Point Pelee National Park (126 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.

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