Talk:Anaxyrus canorus

Discussion

The Yosemite Toad (Bufo canorus) is a close relative of the Western Toad (Bufo boreas) which occur at lower elevations in the same region. Yosemite toads live in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains from 2000 m (6500ft) to 3500 m (11500ft) south of Lake Tahoe and North of Kings Canyon National Park. As the snow melts the dimorphic toads exit their winter burrows (usually rodent dens) to breed in warm shallow pools of water within mountain meadows. The tadpoles are jet black with paddle-like tails and can reach 3-4 cm before they morph. Disease, predation from snakes, birds, introduced trout and other tadpoles, along with extreme environmental conditions lead to a high rate of mortality in maturing toads, who first breed at three to four years of age. Other threats to this species of special concern are cattle grazing and pollution.