Anaxyrus cognatus
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie, from original photograph by Gary M. Stolz, USFWS (original photograph in public domain). · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Great Plains toad (Anaxyrus cognatus) is a relatively large species of true toad native to central North America. The amphibian is native throughout the Canadian Prairies (northern Great Plains) in southern Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan; and into northern Mexico in the Sonoran Desert and Mexican Plateau.
The Great Plains toad is grey, brown, and green in color, with darker colored blotching. It can grow to anywhere between 5.1 and 11.4 cm (2 and 4.5 in) in length. Its primary diet is various species of cutworms. It prefers grassland habitat with loose soil that is easy to burrow in. Breeding occurs throughout the spring and summer months, most often immediately after heavy rainfall. In dry areas it may only emerge from its burrow for a few weeks when conditions are right, and usually at night, but in areas with permanent water bodies and abundant rain it may be active all day. Its mating call is a very loud, harsh chirping noise repeated many times, very fast.
The great plains toad feeds a range of insects such as lepidopterans, dipterans, hymenopterans, coleopterans, ants, and termites. The toad is preyed upon by the plains... Wikipedia →
Recording0:12
United States · 2025
© Carl · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:24
United States · 2017
© Chris Harrison · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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United States · 2024
© John Van Veldhuizen · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Detroit Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Plains Toad sighting in Saguaro National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 7 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Plains Toad in Saguaro National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great Plains Toad sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Great Plains Toad sightings, Saguaro National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Badlands National Park (United States, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Great Plains Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Saguaro National Park (9 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.
