Historical Range in California: Red
Dot-locality range map
Listen to this toad:

One short call

More sounds of
Bufo alvarius
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Formerly present, now possibly extinct in California.
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Adult, Yuma County, Arizona
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Adult, Pima County, Arizona |
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Adult, Maricopa County, Arizona |
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Adult, Pima County, Arizona |
Adult, Pima County, Arizona |
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Juvenile, Pima County, Arizona |
Juvenile, Pima County, Arizona |
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Adults in amplexus, Pima County, Arizona © 2005 Jason Penny |
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Breeding Habitat, Maricopa County, Arizona |
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| Former habitat - Imperial valley irrigation canal, Imperial County |
B. alvarius was once recorded from this area between Winterhaven and the Laguna Dam in Imperial County which is now all farmland.
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The toad from Yuma County, Arizona, shown above on the top left, was found one night in August on a road between two plowed agricultural fields next to this irrigation canal northeast of Yuma Arizona, about 20 miles east of California. The Sonoran Desert Toad utilized similar developed habitat in California along with undisturbed desert habitat before its disappearance in the state (see the Imperial County photos to the left.) This begs the question, why does this toad still persist in similar agricultural habitat nearby in Arizona and not in California?
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Description |
| Size |
| Adults are 4 - 7 1/2 inches from snout to vent (10.1 - 19 cm). The largest toad in California (before its presumed extirpation.) |
| Appearance |
| Olive, dark brown, or dark gray, with relatively smooth skin, cranial crests, and long, large parotoid glands behind the eyes. There is a large white wart near the corner of the mouth, and large warts on the hind legs. Young have light warts set in dark spots. |
| Voice (Listen) |
| A weak, low-pitched whistling screech, 1/2 - 1 second in duration. Calls at night, following summer rains. |
| Behavior |
| Active on rainy nights, most often from May to July during summer rains. Often seen on desert roads in Arizona during the summer monsoons. Parotoid glands contain poisons which may cause paralysis and even death if ingested by dogs and, presumably, other small animals. The skin secretions have hallucinogenic properties. This is the toad involved in reports of toad licking or the smoking of dried parotoid gland secretions. Some states have passed laws against toad licking, and classify the venom of toads as a controlled substance. |
| Diet |
| This toad eats anything that it can overtake and capture, mainly a variety of invertebrates, but lizards, mice, and toads have also been observed in stomach contents. |
| Reproduction |
| Breeds late spring through early fall, May to September. Eggs are laid in still or slow-moving water, in long jelly-coated strings. Tadpoles are gray to golden brown. Metamorphosis takes place quickly, usually in less than a month. |
| Range |
| Formerly found in extreme southeast California along the Colorado River and the southern Imperial Valley. Outside California, found in southern Arizona, extreme southwest New Mexico, and in Sonora and northwest Sinaloa, Mexico. |
| Habitat |
| Sea level to 5,700 ft. (1,760 m.) Inhabits grasslands, arid desert lowlands, mountain canyons with oaks and sycamores, and pinyon-oak-juniper mountain forests. Found near springs, reservoirs, canals, streams, temporary pools, and away from water. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
The name Colorado River Toad is also used.
This toad has been renamed Ollotis alvaria, but this nomenlature is not yet standard. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Apparently extinct in California, probably due to loss of habitat and pesticide use brought about by modern agricultural methods. According to a California Department of Fish and Game report, no toads have been collected or observed in California since 1955. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Bufonidae |
True Toads |
| Genus |
Bufo |
True Toads |
Species
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alvarius |
Sonoran Desert Toad |
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Original Description |
Bufo alvarius Girard, 1859 - in Baird, Report U.S. Mex. Bound. Surv., Vol. 2, Rept., p. 26, pl. 41, figs. 1-6
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
bufo - toad
arius - belonging to
alvus - the womb or belly
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Colorado RiverToad
Ollotis alvaria
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Related or Similar California Frogs |
Bufo boreas halophilus - California Toad
Bufo woodhousii - Rocky Mountain Toad
Bufo cognatus - Great Plains Toad
Bufo punctatus - Red-spotted Toad
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
AmphibiaWeb
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Degenhardt, William G., Painter, Charles W. , & Price, Andrew H. Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico. University
of New Mexico Press, 1996
Davidson, Carlos. Booklet to the CD Frog and Toad Calls of the Pacific Coast - Vanishing Voices. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, 1995. |
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
DFG:SSC |
California Species of Special Concern |
| Bureau of Land Management |
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| USDA Forest Service |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
G5 |
Secure |
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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IUCN:LC |
Least Concern |
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