PLAINS SPADEFOOT TOAD
Spea bombifrons
These frog-like toads are generally tan or brown with orange spots. There may be dorsal stripes visible on some specimens. They get their name from a spade-like projection on their hindlegs used for digging in sandy soils.
Length: 1.5-2.5 inches
These frogs are fossorial, and emerge from underground after heavy rainfall, often in large numbers. Mating, egg laying, and development are generally complete within 2 or 3 weeks, before the temporary water holes they use dry up.
They occur in extreme Northwest Missouri and along the Missouri River to the St. Louis area.
All frogs absorb water through their skin to some degree, but fossorial frogs are able to absorb trace amounts of moisture available to them in soil and surrounding area.
Length: 1.5-2.5 inches
These frogs are fossorial, and emerge from underground after heavy rainfall, often in large numbers. Mating, egg laying, and development are generally complete within 2 or 3 weeks, before the temporary water holes they use dry up.
They occur in extreme Northwest Missouri and along the Missouri River to the St. Louis area.
All frogs absorb water through their skin to some degree, but fossorial frogs are able to absorb trace amounts of moisture available to them in soil and surrounding area.
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Photo by Peter Paplanus
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Photo by Katie Jacobs
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Fun Facts: Toads are found on every Continent except Antarctica.
