What is the specific historical geographic area, near the city of Laramie, to which the Wyoming toad is endemic?
Answer
The Laramie Basin
The Wyoming toad is an example of extreme endemism, meaning its natural range is geographically restricted to a minuscule area. This species evolved exclusively within the Laramie Basin, situated in southeastern Wyoming, close to the city of Laramie. Historically, the toad’s occupied territory covered only about 100 square miles within this basin. This severe habitat restriction is the key reason why human impacts on the Laramie Basin's landscape and hydrology led so quickly and disproportionately to the species’ near-total disappearance from the wild.
Related Questions
What characteristic essential for larval development did the Wyoming toad rely on in the Laramie Basin?By what year were the last known wild individuals of the Wyoming toad observed, resulting in functional extinction in its native environment?What specific range of adult length, in inches, is characteristic of the physical description of the Wyoming toad?What crucial genetic management consideration presents an inherent tension for recovery teams managing the captive Wyoming toad stock?Which two specific zoos were mentioned as centers taking on the responsibility of maintaining a genetically viable population of the Wyoming toad in captivity?What process replaced natural selection in the captive breeding programs aimed at preserving the Wyoming toad?What taxonomic classification issue sometimes complicates the federal endangered status of *Anaxyrus baxteri*?What is the specific historical geographic area, near the city of Laramie, to which the Wyoming toad is endemic?What was the stated ultimate objective for initiating the Wyoming toad captive breeding programs, which commenced with releases in 1995?Which combination of environmental factors primarily drove the catastrophic population crash of the Wyoming toad in the late 1980s?