amphibian

Boreal Toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas)

Stout and warty, the boreal toad is exactly what most people think of when they picture a toad. The trilling calls of male boreal toads during the spring and summer is a sound unique to Alberta – male toads outside of the province lack the vocal sacs needed to produce these advertisement calls.

Photo by Doris May

Why they Matter to Us

  • The thin, vascular skin of boreal toads makes them sensitive to environmental changes, so the presence of boreal toads can be used as an indicator of healthy habitat.

  • Boreal toads help transfer energy and nutrients between aquatic and terrestrial environments.

  • The boreal toad is listed as a Species of Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

How You Can Help

  • Support protected areas in the Edmonton region (such as EALT). You can donate or volunteer your time to help with conservation efforts.

  • Help protect wetlands by preventing run-off of household products.

    • Wash your car at the carwash or use biodegradable soap.

    • If using pesticides or herbicides, follow the directions carefully and avoid use during unfavourable weather conditions.

    • Minimize the use of road salts when possible.

How to Identify

Identify by Sight

To identify the boreal toad, look for these distinguishing features:

  • Raised oval shaped parotid glands behind eyes.

  • Large reddish brown warts often set in dark blotches.

  • Background colour ranging from olive-green to brown and almost black.

  • White belly with dark mottling. May have a light stripe down the middle of the back.

  • Short limbs.

Identify by Sound

  • Not all boreal toads call. Those that do produce a series of soft whistles or chirps.

  • In Alberta, male toads produce a long high-pitched trilling advertisement call.

Where to Find

Boreal toads inhabit a variety of habitats in southwest, central, and northern Alberta including wetlands, lake and river shores, meadows, and forests. Boreal toads breed in shallow aquatic habitats, often in beaver ponds. Adult toads overwinter below the frost line in peat hummocks, natural crevices, or mammal burrows.

Life Cycle

Photo by Gerald Romanchuk

In Alberta, male boreal toads call to attract females during the breeding season. Males will grasp receptive females in a posture called amplexus and fertilize the eggs externally as they are laid. Females may lay 3000 – 12,000 eggs in long strings. The eggs hatch in 3 – 12 days, and the tadpoles metamorphose after 4 – 12 weeks. The newly metamorphosed toadlets then emerge from the aquatic breeding habitat in large masses.

Food Chain

  • Boreal toads are nocturnal feeders that eat worms, slugs, and insects.

  • Tadpoles are eaten by birds including ravens and crows, herons, and sandpipers.

  • Adult toads are eaten by birds, gartersnakes, coyotes, skunks, and foxes.

Fun Facts

  • Boreal toads produce toxins from glands in their skin to discourage predators.

  • You can’t get warts from touching a toad.

  • Albertan boreal toads are often referred to as the calling population.

  • Boreal toads return to the same wetlands for breeding year after year.

Western Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium)

The western tiger salamander is one of the largest salamander species in North America. These nocturnal amphibians are often elusive and seldom seen by Albertans. Like their feline namesake, the western tiger salamander is a fierce predator that consumes a wide variety of prey.

Photo by Steph Weizenbach

Why they Matter to Us

  • Tiger salamanders often fill the role of top predator in fishless habitats, controlling invertebrate abundance and influencing nutrient cycles.

  • Tiger salamanders are often used as model organisms in evolutionary, ecological, and physiological studies.

  • Like many other amphibians, tiger salamanders are sensitive to environmental changes and can act as an indicator of environmental health.

  • The prairie population of western tiger salamanders, including those found in Alberta, is listed as a Species of Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

How You Can Help

  • Support protected areas in the Edmonton region (such as EALT). You can donate or volunteer your time to help with conservation efforts.

  • Help protect wetlands by preventing run-off of household products.

    • Wash your car at the carwash or use biodegradable soap.

    • If using pesticides or herbicides, follow the directions carefully and avoid use during unfavourable weather conditions.

  • Make your yard and property wildlife friendly. Tiger salamanders may become trapped in window wells, sump pumps, or buckets during fall migration.

How to Identify

Identify by Sight

To identify the western tiger salamander, look for these distinguishing features:

  • Large salamander around 20 cm long, though they may reach 30 cm.

  • Broad head with small eyes.

  • Laterally compressed tail.

  • Dark spots and stripes that create a net-like pattern on an olive-green to black background.

  • Larvae are dull yellow to dark brown with a paler belly and three feathery external gills on either side of the head.

Identify by Sign

  • Eggs are laid singly or in small clusters attached to twigs, stones, or aquatic vegetation.

Where to Find

Tiger salamanders can be found in a wide range of habitats, including grassland, parkland, meadows, forests, and even semi-deserts in arid regions. They breed in permanent or semi-permanent fishless waterbodies like lakes, ponds, wetlands, and slow-moving streams. Adults generally live close to their breeding sites and may seek cover in loose or sandy soils, under rocks or woody debris, or in small mammal burrows.

Life Cycle

Tiger salamanders breed in early spring once their breeding sites are free of ice. Females lay eggs after breeding, attaching the eggs to submerged twigs, aquatic vegetation, or other debris. Clutch size varies depending on geographic location and female body size, but ranges from 100-5000 eggs. Aquatic larvae hatch in two to three weeks and metamorphose into terrestrial juveniles after three to four months depending on water temperature and food availability, among other factors. Males reach maturity at two years old, while females take three to five years to mature.

Food Chain

  • Tiger salamanders are opportunistic predators and feed on a variety of invertebrates, including worms and insects. They may also feed on other amphibians.

  • Tiger salamander larvae feed on aquatic invertebrates and other larval amphibians. Some larvae are cannibalistic and feed on other tiger salamander larvae.

  • Tiger salamander larvae may be eaten by giant water bugs, dragonfly nymphs, pelicans, and herons.

  • Introduced species of fish, including sportfish like rainbow trout, are significant predators of tiger salamander larvae. The larvae’s anti-predator defenses are not effective against fish, so the introduction of fish into tiger salamander breeding habitat can cause large population declines.

Photo by Jacob Frank

Fun Facts

  • Some tiger salamanders do not morph into terrestrial forms and instead retain their gills and remain fully aquatic for their entire lives. This is called neoteny and is more common when the terrestrial habitat is unsuitable or the breeding water body is permanent.

  • Unlike frogs, salamanders do not produce vocalizations. They may communicate with each other using touch.

  • Tiger salamanders produce milky secretions from glands on their back and tail. The secretion is poisonous if it is eaten.

Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata)

The boreal chorus frog is a member of the family Hylidae (“HYE-lih-day”), also known as the tree frog family. The boreal chorus frog is the only tree frog native to Alberta. It is a tiny frog, growing no larger than 4 cm long, with tiny toe pads. Despite the fact that this species is a member of the tree frogs, it happily prefers to spend its time near bodies of water. Such bodies of water can even include tiny puddles, flooded fields or roadside ditches, as long as the water is more than 10 cm deep!

Boreal chorus frog by Gerald Romanchuk

Why they Matter to Us

Like most other frogs and toads, the boreal chorus frog is an important member of any ecosystem. They help control insect populations such as mosquitoes, flies, grasshoppers, and many other small insects. These frogs are also an important source of food for predatory birds, snakes, and small mammals. The tadpoles are eaten by fish and other invertebrates.

They are also an important indicator species, and a sudden decline in their population likely suggests negative change in the habitat suitability for all animals within the area.

How You Can Help

  • Support protected areas in the Edmonton region (such as EALT). You can donate or volunteer your time to help with conservation efforts.

  • Avoid using pesticides or other chemicals that may contaminate local water sources. All amphibians are extremely sensitive to environmental changes!

  • Avoid disturbing the frogs or their habitat. Do not pick up or move tadpole eggs. Picking up frogs may transfer chemicals or diseases onto their delicate skin, which may harm them.

How to Identify

Identify by Sight

To identify the boreal chorus frog, look for these distinguishing features:

  • These are small frogs no bigger than 4 cm so keep a keen eye open!

  • The colours of the chorus frog vary from grey to green, but all will have black stripes running horizontally down the body. Look for a distinct horizontal black eye band that covers the eye.

  • Their limbs are long in comparison to the body.

  • Their skin is rather smooth with no bumps, unlike toads.

  • Look for round toe pads on the tips of their toes and fingers.

Identify by Sound

The call of boreal chorus frog sounds much like that of someone running a finger along the edge of a comb. Listen here! They call most commonly during the early evening, but can also be heard during the day. The male frogs call most actively during the mid-April to early June breeding season.

Where to Find

Generally, boreal chorus frogs can be found in open clearings of forested areas with a nearby source of water, such as a lake with trees growing along the banks. They can also be found in flooded fields, wetlands, marshes, and anywhere where there is a source of standing water deeper than 10 cm with no large fish predators. 

Fun Facts

  • The various different colour patterns on frogs and toads are called “morphs.”

  • So-called “satellite males” allow other males to call in females for breeding and then rush in to breed with the females before the original male can.

  • The word amphibious means “living a double life” referring to the aquatic life of the tadpole and more land based life of the adult frog.

Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)

The wood frog is a member of the Ranidae family. These frogs tend to be the ones that people think of when they picture a ‘frog’. They have webbed hind feet and are excellent jumpers. Unlike most other frogs, they are unique in that they prefer to be on land more than in water.

Wood frog by Lu Carbyn

Why they Matter to Us

The wood frog is an important predator and regulator of insect populations. They feed on flies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, leeches and other pests. Without them insect populations would grow unchecked. They are also an important food source for other animals such as larger fish, birds, and small mammals. Tadpoles are an abundant food source in the early spring for many other invertebrates.

They are also an important biological indicator species. A sudden decline in amphibian population may suggest a change in the habitability of the ecosystem at large.

How You Can Help

  • Support protected areas in the Edmonton region (such as EALT!). You can donate or volunteer your time to help with conservation efforts.

  • Advocate for the protection of wetlands and forests.

  • Avoid disturbing the frogs or their habitat. Do not pick up or move tadpole eggs. Picking up frogs may transfer chemicals or diseases onto their delicate skin, which may harm them.

How to Identify

Identify by Sight

Wood frog by Lu Carbyn

To identify the wood frog, look for these distinguishing features:

  • They are medium-sized frogs, about 8 cm in length.

  • Wood frogs exhibit many different colours (morphs) which can vary from tan, grey, to rusty reddish brown.

  • The wood frog has a distinct ridge called the dorsolateral fold, which runs along both sides of the frog’s back.

  • They have a white band on the upper lip and distinct pronounced bands on the thighs and rear legs. The bellies of the frogs are white.

Identify by Sound

The call of the wood frog sounds like a rubbery rapid quacking noise. Like many other frogs, the best time to hear these calls is in the evening between the breeding months of April and May. Listen here!

Where to Find

This species is commonly found near forests of deciduous or boreal trees, often near a source of water such a shallow lake or wetlands.

Wood frogs by Lu Carbyn

Life Cycle

The wood frog is an amphibian, meaning they have a two stage life cycle. During the initial aquatic tadpole stage, they may feed only on plant matter. Once they reach maturity they typically transition into becoming predators.

During mating, males call out for the attention of females. Male frogs will fight each other by grappling and wrestling for the best mating spots. 

Fun Facts

 

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