Description: The Amargosa Toad is a medium-sized, short-limbed toad with a buff to olive colored body. There are many spots on the smooth skin, flecked with lighter colored warts. They typically have a lighter stripe along their back flanked by darker stripes.

Habitat: Its natural habitat is along a 10-mile (16 kilometre) stretch of the Amargosa River in the Oasis Valley between Springdale and Beatty, in tributary springs and in nearby isolated springs. The riverside growth consists of cottonwoods, sedges and cattails and breeding takes place in the springs where there is often little aquatic vegetation. During the daytime these toads take shelter from the desert heat in burrows, under dense vegetation, and in piles of debris.

Range: The Amargosa Toad is a rare toad only found in the Oasis Valley of the Amargosa River. The Oasis Valley is on the crux of the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert. Amargosa Toads are dependent on water so the Amargosa River and associated springs provide what they need.

Found in these States: NV

Diet: Adult Amargosa Toads do the majority of their foraging at night. They use their sticky tongues to catch their prey. Their prey includes many different types of invertebrates such as spiders, snails, insects, and even scorpions.

Reproduction: Male Amargosa Toads tend to be smaller than females. Females will lay up to 6,000 eggs in long strands. They will typically lay their eggs along the edge of slow streams, among vegetation, and in shallow bodies of water. The eggs will develop and hatch into tadpoles faster in warmer water. The tadpoles need open water for their development.

Status: Amargosa toads were classified as a Protected amphibian by the State of Nevada in 1998. This species is incredibly rare and threatened by several factors. Given that they are a desert dwelling toad, water is a precious and finite resource. Water diversion and the degradation of their wetland habitats threaten the toads as well as several invasive species including bullfrogs and crayfish.

Taxonomy: