Alberta’s Canadian Toad (Bufo hemiophyrs) WAYNE LYNCH data deficient Description Canadian toad occupies roughly the eastern half of the province. status The Canadian toad, also known as the Alberta: Recommended Dakota toad, is the smallest true toad in by the Endangered Alberta. It ranges in length from 3 cm to Habitat Species Conservation 7.5 cm, with the males usually smaller The Canadian toad is generally found in Committee (ESCC) as than the females. Like all true toads, the river valleys or along lakes with sandy Data Deficient Canadian toad has a stout body, and its borders. Even though the Canadian toad Saskatchewan: Secure skin is mottled with grey-green or requires wetlands for breeding, much of Manitoba: Secure brownish blotches with irregular the year is spent in adjacent uplands. Northwest Territories: brownish-red, toxin-producing warts. The Such areas of sandy soil are important May Be At Risk Canadian toad is most often brown or winter hibernation sites, into which Canada (COSEWIC): Not assessed by grey-green in colour. However, it can also individuals burrow to avoid freezing. COSEWIC; National occur in a rusty or red-coloured phase. Its Over-wintering areas, called hibernacula, General Status is underside is whitish and spotted with may contain large concentrations of Sensitive grey. The male’s throat is dark, whereas toads, and can be several hundred metres USA: Unranked/Not yet the female’s throat is the same light from ponds. Because of this, entire assessed (N?) colour as her belly. The Canadian toad subpopulations of the Canadian toad are has two ridges along the top of its head susceptible to forest harvest and that are either parallel or joined to form a construction activities during the raised bump between its eyes. nonbreeding season. The Canadian toad is active from April to Breeding occurs between May and July, September in Alberta. It is mainly seen after adults emerge from hibernation and during the day, stalking and preying migrate to breeding sites. Males begin upon earthworms, beetles, and ants with calling in shallow areas of ponds, lakes, its long, sticky tongue. At night the marshes, and temporary bodies of water Canadian toad generally burrows into at temperatures as low as 5°C. A female the ground for cover. However, if the will lay 4000 to 7000 eggs in long, spiral evening is warm enough, it may also be strings of jelly at the bottom of the pond. active at night. Population Distribution The Canadian toad was common and its As its name suggests, the Canadian toad population was stable in Alberta until the is mainly found in Canada, inhabiting the mid-1980s. Since then, it appears to have prairie, aspen parkland and boreal forest declined and may no longer occur in regions of Alberta, Saskatchewan, areas of our province south of Medicine Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. Hat. The population has also been Its distribution extends into the United declining in the northern parts of the States, along the Canadian border to prairies and in the parkland region. The western Minnesota and northeastern remaining population is small and South Dakota. Within Alberta, the appears to be declining further, but data deficient Canadian Toad (Bufo hemiophrys) since historical information on population toad, and that the status of the species in the size is limited, accurate estimates of the rate province be reassessed within five years. This of decline are not available. The species is research is needed to determine the impacts rare in many locations; however, the of threats to toad populations, and to gain a population size is still unknown. This is more complete understanding of the biology because until recently there have been no of this species. The current volunteer network large-scale programs in place to survey of the Alberta Amphibian Monitoring amphibian populations in our province. Program could provide support for this task. Threats What You Can Do To Help Alberta’s Canadian toad population faces a As a member of the public, a land number of threats that may have been manager, or an industrial developer: responsible for broad-scale declines during the past few decades, including disturbance • Report any observations of the Canadian toad to hibernacula (such as through construction to the nearest office of the Fish and Wildlife activities), forest harvest, wetland loss and Division, Alberta Sustainable Resource alteration, disease, and climate change. More Development. than 90% of wetlands in prairie and parkland • Volunteer with the Alberta Amphibian areas have been drained or modified for Monitoring Program, which is organized by agriculture, 60% of which has occurred in the the Alberta Conservation Association and last 50 years. The greatest modifications have Alberta Sustainable Resource Development taken place in the grasslands and the [www3.gov.ab.ca/srd/fw/amphib]. parkland, the areas in which Canadian toads • Avoid altering wetland habitat, and minimize have declined. the impacts that cattle have on these areas. Fencing off these areas and pumping out Management water for cattle is one very effective way of Under Alberta’s Wildlife Act, the Canadian toad preserving wetland habitat. is currently designated as a “non-game • Contact wildlife management staff at the animal”. This means that it cannot be killed for nearest Fish and Wildlife Division office for any reason, cannot be bought or sold, and a information on ways that you can minimize permit is required to hold this species for impacts on amphibian populations. educational or scientific purposes. This will ensure continued general protection for the species in our province while better data are collected. The Alberta Endangered Species Conservation Committee (ESCC) has recommended that the status of the Canadian toad be “Data Deficient” because there is insufficient information on this species to accurately assess its status in Alberta. The ESCC has recommended that the Alberta government facilitates the collection of better information on the population size, distribution and trend of the Canadian March 2002 For more information on Alberta’s Species At Risk: http://www3.gov.ab.ca/srd/fw/riskspecies/.