Western toad populations have declined over recent years due to habitat loss and infection from chytrid fungus. In partnership with the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), Loveland Living Planet Aquarium began breeding western toads under managed care to help save this species.
To simulate what they experience in the wild and encourage hibernation, our Freshwater team lowered the western toad’s habitat to 40 degrees around the end of October. Hibernation in the wild lasts about 3 months and is essential for females since this is when their eggs develop.
When they wake up, all toads receive hormone injections to start the breeding process and for the females to lay their eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the tadpoles become full toads in about 6 weeks, then grow to about half their adult size in a year. They reach full size and hit sexual maturity at about 3 years.
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium has successfully raised 20 western toads that will be released or transferred to other AZA institutions by the DWR sometime next year.
Allowing them to grow under managed care for a year will allow the toads to get bigger, and have a much better chance of survival in the wild.
The toads from our facility will be tagged in order to be surveyed after they are released. These tags indicate where the toads came from and when they were released. This helps us to monitor survival rates and track where the toads travel.
While these new baby toads are not currently on display, their parents will be available in Discover Utah for guests to enjoy in the meantime. 