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A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California


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Breeding, Eggs, and Young of
Yosemite Toad - Anaxyrus canorus

(Camp, 1916)

(= Bufo canorus)



observation link

 
Adults in Amplexus
Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad
Adults in amplexus with the female depositing her eggs, Alpine County Adults in amplexus, Fresno County with a second male on top of, then underneath the female. He tried to steal the female from the other male, but the other male kicked and made a loud territorial release calluntil the second male finally retreated. Adults in amplexus, Fresno County
© Julie Nelson
Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad
Adults in amplexus with eggs, Tuolumne County © Paul Maier Adults in amplexus, Tuolumne County
© Paul Maier
Adults in amplexus, Tuolumne County
© Paul Maier
Adults in amplexus, Tuolumne County
© Paul Maier
Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad  
Adults in amplexus, Mariposa County
© Paul Maier
This is a short video of a male and female in amplexus in Fresno County. A release call, probably made by the female (on the bottom), can be heard as the frogs hop together. A female typically produces this call after she has already laid her eggs and wants the male to release her.
© Julie Nelson


A short video of adults in amplexus hopping around the breeding pond in Tulumne County © Paul Maier  
       
Breeding and Calling Males
Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad
Calling male, Fresno County. Calling male, Alpine County Male, Fresno County, in calling postition, partly-submerged in a snow-melt meadow pool.
Male in breeding pond,
Tuolumne County © Paul Maier
       
Videos of Calling Males
Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad
These are short videos of a male calling from  on top of and underneath
a piece of buried tree root in a wet meadow in Alpine County.
This is a 20 second video of a male toad calling in the afternoon from a snow-melt pool in a high-altitude wet meadow surrounded by snow at 9200 ft. elevation in Fresno County. The air temperature was 37 degrees, but the shallow water was over 60 degrees F. due to the sun. Pacific Treefrogs and water sounds are heard in the background.

Many thanks to Stephanie Weber, aquatic biologist and toad Muse, for helping me to get this recording by inspiring some cold and sluggish toads to call.
This is a short video of a montane breeding meadow in Mariposa County, with the trills of a breeding chorus of Yosemite Toads in the background.
© Paul Maier
       
Eggs
Yosemite Toad eggs Yosemite Toad eggs    
Eggs, Alpine County Eggs, Fresno County
© Julie Nelson
   
       
Tadpoles
Yosemite Toad tadpoles Yosemite Toad tadpoles Yosemite Toad tadpoles Yosemite Toad tadpoles
Tadpoles, Fresno County
© Julie Nelson
Tadpoles, Alpine County Tadpoles, Alpine County As they wriggle around while settling down for the night, tadpoles leave these divots in the silty substrate on the bottom of the water about the size of a golf ball, Fresno County © Paul Maier
Yosemite Toad tadpoles Yosemite Toad tadpoles Yosemite Toad tadpoles Yosemite Toad tadpoles
Tadpoles clustered together to increase solar heat absorption, Fresno County
© Paul Maier
Tadpoles clustered together to increase solar heat absorption, Tuolumne County
© Paul Maier
This is a short video of tiny recently-hatched tadpoles swimming in shallow puddles in a high mountain meadow in Alpine County
Yosemite Toad tadpoles Yosemite Toad tadpoles Yosemite Toad tadpoles  
Metamorphs, Tuolumne County
© Paul Maier
Metamorphs gathered together to maximize solar input to help their growth and development. Tuolumne County © Paul Maier  
       
Habitat During Breeding Season
Yosemite Toad Habitat Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad Yosemite Toad Habitat
Breeding habitat, 8900 ft., Alpine County (site of amplexing adults and eggs shown above is in shallow water at lower left) Adult male, Alpine County, (at very bottom of pictures) at edge of snow-melt runoff in a meadow in which there are a few calling males during the beginning of the breeding season.

Tadpoles in habitat, 8,900 ft,.
Alpine County
Yosemite Toad Habitat Yosemite Toad Habitat Yosemite Toad Habitat Yosemite Toad Habitat
Habitat at breeding time - meadow saturated
with snow melt 8,900 ft., Alpine County.
Two views of breeding habitat at 9200 ft. elevation in Fresno County
during the breeding period just after snow melt in late May.
Yosemite Toad Habitat Yosemite Toad Habitat Yosemite Toad Habitat Yosemite Toad Habitat
Subalpine habitat in breeding season, with tadpole divots seen in the pond in front, Fresno County © Paul Maier Transitional habitat in breeding season, Tuolumne County © Paul Maier Subalpine habitat, Tuolumne County
© Paul Maier
Subalpine habitat in breeding season with tadpole divots , Tuolumne County
© Paul Maier
Yosemite Toad Habitat      
Habitat in breeding season, Mariposa County © Paul Maier      
       

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