Canadian toad
species of amphibian
The Canadian toad (Anaxyrus hemiophrys), also known commonly as the Dakota toad, is a species of toad that ranges from the prairie regions of western Canada south to parts of the upper midwest of the United States. It belongs to the family Bufonidae, the "true" toads. Its specific name is derived from the Latin word hemiophrys, meaning eyebrow, which refers to its pronounced cranial crest between and behind the eyes. Anaxyrus hemiophrys displays the typical toad characteristics: it lacks a tail and teeth, it has a horizontal pupil, and its dry skin is thick and warty.
Description
The Canadian toad can grow to around 7.6 cm (3 in) in length. Fully grown adult males are usually 5.6 to 6.9 cm (2.2–2.7 in), while females are a little bigger between the ranges of 5.6 and 7.9 cm (2.2–3.1 in) and they weigh between 35 and 55 g. Their colouring is described by Cope (1886) as "brown, marked on the back with a median yellowish line, and two to three rows of brown spots of medium size on each side of it." Each spot has one to two tubercles in their centers which are redder in colour than the rest of the spots. He also identified two spots on the upper lip, one below the tympanum and a large spot that extends from below the parotid gland to near the front of the humerus. The parotid gland is narrow and secretes a toxin to protect it from predators. The toxins can cause irritation to the eyes and mouth and if it is ingested it can cause illness, but despite this toxin they are safe to handle.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Canadian toad” is species of amphibian. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Canadian, toad and species, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “species of amphibian” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q14917268. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1886.
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This entry incorporates text from “Canadian toad” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.