Western Toad (Bufo boreas)
Description: Usually less than 3½" snout-vent lenght in Colorado. Color dark, greenish, brown or black, with light stripe down middle of back. Cranial crests usually absent.
Western Toad Stats
Scientific Name: Bufo boreas
Family: Bufonidae
Adult Size: Usually 4 inches (although a large female may attain 5 inches in length).
Range: The western toad has an extensive range in North America.
Western Toad
Notes on this species:
The genus Anaxyrus was split from Bufo by Frost et al in 2006. Most references still use the long-established Bufo.
Boreal Western Toad Behaviour
No observations regarding Boreal Western Toad behavior have been submitted to the database yet.
Interesting Facts about Boreal Western Toads ...
This page contains samples from our picture files on Western Toad. These images are intended to communicate the sense of awe and wonder I have for these amazing beings.
Western toad - Bufo boreas. Most reports have been from the spring months, usually in grassland openings or around buildings. It was not noted during this study, but was found by Mackey (1981).
Western Toad, Bufo boreas
There are three subspecie of the Western Toad; the Boreal Toad, B. b. boreas (photos below); the California Toad, B. b. halophilus (shown at the bottom of the page); and the Amargosa Toad, B. b. nelsoni (not shown).
In the Pacific Northwest, the western toad occurs in mountain meadows and less commonly in Douglas-fir forests (Pseudotsuga menziesii) [8].
Tadpoles are difficult to distinguish from those of the Western Toad immediately after hatching, but changes in coloration, size and shape are apparent several weeks later. At hatching, the tadpoles of both species are small and black.
Because amphibians, such as the western toad Bufo boreas studied here, tend to spawn in shallow water, their embryos develop in direct sunlight and suffer from ultraviolet-B exposure.
Spadefoots have a bumpy skin but do not look as "warty" as Western Toads. (see photo) A Spadefoot sitting still on the ground looks like a large pebble, so they can go undetected by a predator.
 See also: Toad, Leopard, Leopard Frog, Northern Leopard Frog, Bullfrog
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