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 ~50% · Likely
at Voyageurs National Park

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

27 Verified sightings at Voyageurs National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,398 In all 8 parks
July 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 Voyageurs National Park?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report an American Toad sighting in Voyageurs National Park on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 5 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, 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 Voyageurs National Park?

July to October

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report an American Toad in Voyageurs National Park on a given day, against about 10% in May, the lowest month. Those are among Voyageurs National Park's wettest months, with about 95 mm of rain a month against 25 mm in January. November to April have too few records to rate.

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 Voyageurs National Park?

Same order: Anura

The closest relatives of the American Toad that you can see in Voyageurs National Park (order Anura, Frogs and Toads) are Green Frog (about 40%), Northern Leopard Frog (about 40%) and Wood Frog (about 30%), 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 Voyageurs National Park (27 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.

← Back to Voyageurs National Park