| American Spadefoot Toads | |
|---|---|
| Western Spadefoot Toad (Spea hammondii) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Suborder: | Mesobatrachia |
| Family: | Scaphiopodidae Cope, 1865 |
| Genera | |
| Distribution of Scaphiopodidae (in black) | |
Scaphiopodidae is a family of American spadefoot toads. They are native to southern Canada and USA south to southern Mexico. Scaphiopodidae is a small family, comprising 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.[1]
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.
This family was previously included in the European spadefoot toad family, but has been split into two taxa. Pelobatidae includes the Pelobates genus, and Scaphiopodidae the rest.[2]
Spadefoot toads are generally found in arid climates, where they spend the majority of their lives underground, generally beneath perennial ponds, creek beds, or other moisture-retaining areas. During years of sufficient rainfall, the toads surface to breed and lay eggs.
Data related to Scaphiopodidae at Wikispecies Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Scaphiopodidae Scaphiopodidae] at Wikimedia Commons