The Great Plains toad (''Anaxyrus cognatus'') is a relatively large

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of true toad native to central North America.

Distribution

The amphibian is native throughout the

Canadian Prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

(northern Great Plains) in southern

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, and

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

; and into

northern Mexico Northern Mexico ( ), commonly referred as , is an informal term for the northern cultural and geographical area in Mexico. Depending on the source, it contains some or all of the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua (state), ...

in the Sonoran Desert and Mexican Plateau. Great_Plains_toad_Phoenix_Zoo

Description

The Great Plains toad is grey, brown, and

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

in color, with darker colored blotching. It can grow to anywhere between 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.Grismer, L. L. (2002). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California''. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 69. Its mating call is a very loud, harsh chirping noise repeated many times, very fast.

Ecology

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 garter snake (''Thamnophis radix''), among others. It uses chemoreceptors to sense chemical cues left by the snake. The great plains toad occur in deserts, grasslands, semi-desert shrublands, open floodplains, and agricultural areas. When inactive they burrow underground. Breeding takes place in temporary water bodies such as rain pools, flooded areas, and ponds; they can also use margins of reservoirs. The eggs and larvae develop in shallow water and metamorphose after 17 to 45 days.

Conservations

The Great Plains toad has wide distribution and is not considered threatened, although it may suffer from road kills, farming, and suburban sprawl, increased droughts, and urbanization.

References

Further sources

* *
Herps of Texas: ''Bufo cognatus''

External links

*
IUCN Red List.org: ''Anaxyrus cognatus'' (Great Plains Toad)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q28030930

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

Amphibians of Canada Amphibians of Mexico Amphibians of the United States Great Plains toad Fauna of Northern Mexico Fauna of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Fauna of the Western United States Fauna of the Southwestern United States Fauna of the Colorado Desert Fauna of the Sonoran Desert Amphibians described in 1822 Least concern biota of the United States