Juvenile and Adult

• V-shaped ridges (cranial crests) on top of head, meet to form a bump (boss) on snout, and diverge around back of each eye; appear with age
• Dark blotches with pale-borders, each with small warts
• Raised oval-shaped parotoid gland behind each eye
• Two prominent, elongated projections (tubercles) on underside of each hind foot
• May have light stripe down middle of back
• Background colour: light brown-grey to olive

Body Length: up to 12 cm

Call

• Loud, metallic sounding trill, which may last up to a minute

Eggs

• Laid in long strings with jelly layer that is distinctly scalloped, or pinched between eggs

Tadpole

• Eyes located centrally on body as viewed from above
• Spiracle located high on body, in middle of left side as viewed from side
• All but smallest individuals, which appears mostly black, have general brassy colouration on body and tail muscle

Range

• Restricted to the short-grass prairie of southeastern Alberta
• Found near ponds, ditches, and flooded fields within areas of loose soil that allow for easy burrowing