Amphibians
Sonoran Green Toad
Anaxyrus retiformis · also called Sonoran green toads
Within hours of the first heavy summer monsoon downpour, Sonoran green toads emerge from underground by the dozens around a temporary desert pool, racing through an entire breeding cycle before the same rain-fed water disappears again just days later.
Overview
The Sonoran green toad, Anaxyrus retiformis, is a small, netlike-patterned toad native to desert and grassland habitat across southern Arizona and adjacent northern Mexico. Its almost entirely underground lifestyle, punctuated by brief, rain-triggered bursts of breeding activity, makes it one of the more extreme examples of desert amphibian timing in North America.
A whole year compressed into a few rainy days
For eleven months or more, the Sonoran green toad simply waits underground, and when the summer monsoon finally arrives, its entire reproductive year plays out in a matter of days before the toad disappears again until the rains return.
Status
Least Concern — present across suitable desert and grassland habitat throughout the Sonoran Desert region.
Sonoran Green Toad: common questions
Why does the Sonoran green toad spend so much time underground?
A Sonoran green toad spends the vast majority of the year buried underground to avoid the extreme heat and dryness of its desert habitat, emerging only for a short period each summer when monsoon rains create the temporary pools it needs for breeding.
How quickly does the Sonoran green toad breed after it rains?
The Sonoran green toad completes its entire breeding cycle, from calling and mating to egg-laying, within just a few days of suitable summer monsoon rainfall, a rapid pace forced by the fact that the temporary desert pools it depends on can dry up again within a couple of weeks.
Why is the Sonoran green toad's scientific name retiformis?
The Sonoran green toad's species name, retiformis, refers to its distinctive netlike, or reticulated, pattern of dark lines over a greenish-yellow background, a pattern visible across its back and sides that gives the species both its common and scientific names.
Where does the Sonoran green toad live?
The Sonoran green toad is native to desert and grassland habitat across southern Arizona and adjacent northern Mexico, spending most of the year buried underground within this arid landscape.