Which two specific zoos were mentioned as centers taking on the responsibility of maintaining a genetically viable population of the Wyoming toad in captivity?
Answer
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Kansas City Zoo
Following the functional extinction of the wild population, the entire survival mechanism shifted to managed care, known as ex-situ conservation. During this critical phase, specific institutions took on the duty of housing and breeding the surviving genetic stock. Among the centers highlighted for their role in maintaining a genetically viable assurance population were the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Kansas City Zoo. Their work involved meticulous management, including careful pairing strategies, aimed at maximizing genetic heterozygosity within the small founding group to preserve the species' essential building blocks.

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?