The Wyoming Toad (Anaxyrus baxteri) is found only in Albany County, Wyoming, first studied in 1946 by George T. Baxter, a graduate student at the University of Wyoming. The population of Wyoming Toads declined dramatically in the 1970s, and by the 1980s, the toads were extremely rare. The Wyoming Toad was listed in the Endangered Species Act on January 17, 1984. In December 1996, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) approved a Species Survival Plan® (SSP) for the Wyoming Toad.
Captive husbandry and reproduction of the Wyoming Toad at the Museum & Aquarium, as well as six other locations nationwide, is of paramount importance to the recovery of the species. The presence of amphibians is often a key indicator of an ecosystem’s health. With the wild population in extreme peril, it is the responsibility of the institutions housing the remaining captive population to explore all options to not only significantly increase the overall numbers of Wyoming Toads, but also to attempt to understand the unique and challenging physiological and environmental demands of this species.
Where to find on campus: In the Mississippi River Discovery Center