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Great Basin Spadefoot
Toad Description: This small toad lacks the noticeable bumpy glands and warty skin of its relatives. It has vertical eye pupils, instead of the horizontal eye pupils of true toads. This frog has a black, wedge-shaped "spade" on each hind foot; this spade is used to dig burrows. The body is gray and brown or olive. Diet: Larvae probably eat algae, organic debris and plant tissue. Adults are known to eat ants, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets and flies. Reproduction: Breeding occurs after spring or summer rains. Females lay eggs in small packets containing 20 to 40 eggs; under good conditions, eggs probably hatch in 2 - 3 days. Spadefoots are tadpoles for only a few days. They grow and change very quickly before the water pool dries up. Interesting Characteristics: Primarily nocturnal animals. Hibernate in the winter and aestivates in the summer. Digs burrows in loose soil or uses burrows made by other animals to escape heat and dry periods. Predators include birds. Adult spadefoots have special skin secretions known to repel predators and cause humans to sneeze. |
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