VAIL DAILY (Colorado) 12 July 08 Why do toads do well in Jackson Hole? Scientists have studied the severe die off of the toads in Colorado and New Mexico (Allen Best)
Jackson Hole, Wyo.: Research is underway in Jackson Hole to determine why boreal toads, also called the Western toad, are doing so well along the flanks of the Teton Range, while their populations have been dropping in Colorado?
For several decades scientists have studied the severe die off of the toads in Colorado and New Mexico. The specific cause is a fungus called chytrid that damages the toad’s skin, which the it uses to regulate moisture and to breathe.
Amphibian researcher Peter Murphy of Idaho State University tells the Jackson Hole News&Guide that many of the boreal toads in the Tetons carry the same pathogen, but they didn’t seem to be affected by it. His goal is to figure out why.
The research from the Tetons is being compared against similar research involving toads near Steamboat Springs.
Why do toads do well in Jackson Hole?