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A bumpy, spotted female Yosemite toad on a white background.
Photo: Maierpa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Yosemite Toad

Anaxyrus canorus

A Sierra Nevada mountain toad that walks instead of hopping, with males and females that look very different.

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About the Yosemite Toad

Yosemite toads live in high mountain forests, meadows and wetlands of the Sierra Nevada, from Alpine to Fresno County. They are 2 to 3 inches long with bumpy skin. Males are plain olive or yellowish green, and females are paler with dark spots. They can walk up to a mile from their burrow to a breeding pond. Adults eat ants, flies, beetles and spiders.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Anaxyrus canorus[1]
Size
2 to 3 inches long. Females are usually larger.[1]
Lifespan
Up to 15 years for females, 12 for males.[1]
Diet
Tadpoles eat algae and plants; adults eat ants, flies, beetles and spiders.[1]
Habitat
High-altitude forests, meadows and wetlands.[1]
Where it lives
The Sierra Nevada of California, from Alpine to Fresno County.[1]
Babies
1,000 to 2,000 eggs in a snowmelt pool.[1]
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, assessed 2021).[2]

Fun facts

  • Yosemite toads walk instead of hop.[1]
  • Their scientific name means "tuneful" for their song.[1]
  • Males and females look so different they could be two species.[1]

Vocabulary

sexually dimorphic
Having males and females that look different.
vernal pool
A shallow pool that fills with water in spring and dries up later in the year.
chytrid
A fungus that infects the skin of amphibians and can kill them.
tadpole
A young frog or toad that lives in water and breathes with gills.
vulnerable
A conservation label meaning a species faces a high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Yosemite Toad.” https://www.sfzoo.org/yosemite-toad/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Anaxyrus canorus (Yosemite Toad).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3180/118972917 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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