Toad Fossil, Anaxyrus, Trona pseudomorph

An extremely well-preserved toad fossil specimen of the species Anaxyrus (North American Toad). This toad, along with other small animals like lizards, mice and bats, was replaced by the mineral trona in March 2023, so it was only just recently petrified, unlike most ancient fossils. Trona is an evaporite mineral similar to salt found in abundance in the area. When the heaviest rains in 110 years hit the lake bed of Owens Lake, California (next to Death Valley), trona-rich brine overflowed into freshwater ponds, immediately poisoning and killing most pond life. The flood was followed by relatively rapid evaporation in the very dry climate that favors minerals like trona (and halite, which is mined also mined in the area), which quickly replaced the form of the toad and petrified it in life-like positions, on a matrix of trona. The toad is hollow and extremely fragile, and has been treated for preservation.