Can You Tell a Spadefoot from a Toad? | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Can You Tell a Spadefoot from a Toad?

Dec 12, 2023

Written By

It may look like a toad, but spadefoots are an amphibian of their own. With seven species of spadefoots across the country, can you tell the difference between a spadefoot and a true toad?

A four panel comic. Panel 1 says, can you tell a spadefoot and a toad? three tips to help you out. There is a colored drawing of a western spadefoot and a western toad side by side. Panel 2 says, tip number 1. spadefoots have cat-like vertical pupils, while true toads have horizontal pupils. There is a new drawing of the face of the spadefoot and the toad, showing spadefoots vertical pupil and toads horizontal pupil. Panel 3 says, tip number 2. spadefoots have a single hard black spur on the bottom of their back feet for digging burrows, while most true toads do not have such a large or dark spur. There is a drawing of the underside of a spadefoots back foot showing the large black spur, and the underside of a toads back foot showing small yellow spurs. Panel 4 says, tip number 3. spadefoots smell like peanut butter! true toads smell like... not that. The drawing shows a happy spadefoot on top of a jar of peanut butter and the toad next to the jar looking disgruntled. End comic.

Story Tags

Adaptation

Amphibians

Illustrations

Written By

Published

Dec 12, 2023

Wildlife Wonders

Facilities

Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office