American spadefoot toads

Taxobox
name = American Spadefoot Toads

---

image_width = 240px
image_caption = Western Spadefoot Toad ("Spea hammondii")
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Amphibia
ordo = Anura
subordo = Mesobatrachia
familia = Scaphiopodidae
familia_authority = Cope, 1865
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Scaphiopus "Spea
range_

range_map_caption = Distribution of Scaphiopodidae (in black)

American spadefoot toads, Scaphiopodidae, are a toad family of order Anura, native to southern Canada and USA south to southern Mexico. Scaphiopodidae is a small family, comprising of only seven species.

The American spadefoot toads are of typical shape to most fossorial (or burrowing) frogs. They are round, with short legs and protruding eyes. As suggested by their name, this frog has hard, keratinous protrusion present on their feet, which helps them to dig. Like most fossorial frogs, they will dig backwards into the ground.

The American spadefoot toads are terrestrial when not under ground. They are dully coloured, usually a grey or dull green or brown. This is to aid in camouflage in their arid habitats.

Taxonomy

This family was previously included in the European spadefoot toad family, but has been split into two families. Pelobatidae includes the "Pelobates" genus, and Scaphiopodidae the rest. [cite web|title=Amphibian Species of the World - Pelobatidae Bonaparte, 1850|url=http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/references.php?id=14952| accessdate=2006-05-12]
* Southern Spadefoot Toads, "Scaphiopus" (Holbrook, 1836)
* Western Spadefoot Toads, "Spea" (Cope, 1866)

Spadefoot toads are usually underground. When it rains, this toad comes to surface. And soon, it lays it's eggs in pools of water. It takes only ten (10) days for the eggs to transform into tadpoles, later into tiny spadefoots. They live in the desert. One (1) desert you might find them is The Great Basin Desert.

References

*cite web|title=Scaphiopodidae (Cope, 1865) American Spadefoot Toads| url=http://www.livingunderworld.org/anura/database/scaphiopodidae/| accessdate=2006-05-12