Canadian toad - Bufo hemiophrys
Size: 2 - 3 1/2 inches (5.1-9 cm)
Voice: A clear trill very similar to the American Toad, but lower in pitch and shorter, lasting approximately five seconds. The male's vocal sac is round when inflated.
Identification: Very similar in appearance to the American toad, although the cranial ridge of adult Canadian toads fuses to form a large dome, called a boss, between the eyes.
Life stages: Females lay up to 20,000 eggs which typically hatch within one week. Tiny toads emerge within approximately six weeks.
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Range map for Canadian toad.
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Breeding habitat: Breeds in shallow wetlands, streams, and roadside ditches.
Summer habitat: More aquatic than most toads, typically found in or near the margins of prairie wetlands. Capable of tolerating extreme heat by remaining dormant for several days.
Winter habitat: Subterranean, burrows below frost line. This species often overwinters communally within small earth mounds, called mima mounds. These mounds may hold several hundred toads over the winter.
Photo: ©B. Oldfield.
