Anaxyrus canorus
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie, from original photograph by Gary M. Stolz, USFWS (original photograph in public domain). · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The Yosemite toad (Anaxyrus canorus, formerly Bufo canorus) is a species of true toad in the family Bufonidae. Endemic to the Sierra Nevada of California, the species ranges from the Alpine County to Fresno County. Yosemite toads are only found in the montane to subalpine elevational zone of 1,950–3,445 m (6,398–11,302 ft) asl. The Yosemite toad is similar to the nearby western toad (A. boreas), but in many ways adapted to a high elevation lifestyle. It was initially described during the Grinnell Survey of California, by an undergraduate student of Joseph Grinnell named Charles Camp.
Yosemite toads are medium-sized (48–84 millimetres or 1.9–3.3 inches SVL) stocky toads, with females averaging larger than males. They generally lack cranial crests, but males will rarely have weakly developed ones. Their eyes have a dark brown iris with gold iridophores. In comparison with the closely related western toad (A. boreas), the parotoid glands are large, narrowly spaced, and irregularly shaped (oval or flattened), less than one gland width apart. Like the parotoids, the eyes are spaced narrowly apart, usually less than the width of the upper eyelid. The warts... Wikipedia →
Recording0:10
United States · 2019
© johnwmyles · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:24
United States · 2022
© Beth Pratt · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yosemite Toad sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 192 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 9 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Yosemite Toad in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to April, the lowest months. Those are among Yosemite National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 220 mm in January.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yosemite Toad sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Yosemite Toad sightings, Yosemite National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yosemite Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Yosemite National Park (192 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.
