Anaxyrus boreas
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 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
Recording0:17
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 |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Western Toad sighting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd 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.
November
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Western Toad in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, against about 10% in May, the lowest month.
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.
10th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Western Toad sightings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ranks 10th at about 30%. The best odds are in Redwood National Park (United States, about 50%), Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 40%) and Glacier National Park (United States, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (43 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.
