Description: Boreal toads lack a cranial crest, and can be distinguished from the other western toad subspecies, the California toad, by looking at its underbelly, which is covered by a considerable amount of dark blotches. Adult males on average are between 2.4–3.1 inches and females are 2.9 to 3.9 inches. Their coloration can range from brown to green and they have a distinct white middorsal stripe. Both sexes have dry, warty skin and oval parotoid glands.
Habitat: It prefers high-altitude wet habitats (8,000–12,000 ft in elevation) such as lakes, marshes, ponds, bogs and quiet shallow water. Habitat selection for western toads is important because they require open water for breeding, and they can die if they are too exposed to seawater.
Range: The boreal toad is currently found in Northern New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, Alberta, and Southeast Alaska.
Diet: Being omnivorous, boreal toads feed on a wide variety of insects and invertebrates as well as aquatic and non-aquatic plants. Their diet includes grasshoppers, beetles, flies, detritus, algae, and mosquitos.
Reproduction: The breeding season is usually from May to Late July and occurs in marshes and still waters. Females on average lay about 3,000 to 8,000 eggs. The tadpoles take around two months to develop and are usually black in color. Survival of tadpoles to metamorphosis has been shown to be higher in aquatic environments with high trout presence, low chytrid fungus presence, and in non-permanent spawning pools. Trout presence decreases predation by aquatic insects, lower chytrid fungus concentrations help tadpoles through their highest vulnerability life-stage, and ephemeral spawning pools are warmer, leading to faster and larger tadpole growth.
Status: The western toad occupies a variety of habitats and is presently listed as a species of least concern. Nonetheless, concerns remain about the impact of disease and chemical contamination of the environment, especially chytridiomycosis. One of the chief chemical threats is the overuse of urea as fertilizer, which is often applied in high dosage to forest environments to increase biomass productivity and economic return. A. boreas is harmed by the dermal absorption of this chemical, which can lead to increased mortality.
Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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