Couch's Spadefoot
Couch's spadefoot toads have skin secretions that are a defense mechanism and may cause allergic reactions in some people.
About This Species
This medium-sized toad spends the majority of the year underground to avoid the heat and to keep its skin moist. They only emerge during monsoon season to reproduce. Females lay upwards of 3,000 eggs, that hatch in less than a day and produce land-dwelling toadlets in less than two weeks.
More Information:
Physical Characteristics
Pupil vertically elongated (like a cat) in bright light; a single hard, black, sickle-shaped spade on each hind foot; indistinct gland behind each eye; adult head and body length often 6–7 cm (2.4-2.8 inches), rarely up to 9 cm (3.5 inches).
Mature Male
Greenish yellow with scattered dark spots; dark patches on the inner three toes of front feet of mature individuals during breeding season; expanded vocal sac large and evenly rounded.
Mature Female
Greenish yellow with dark mottling.
Range
Southeastern Colorado. Highly localized, generally rare.
Habitat
Breeds in pools and stock ponds filled by heavy rains, in areas dominated by prairie grassland.
Reproduction
Breeding Call
A croaking “yeow.”
Larvae
Upper side usually bronze, dark brown, or dark gray to black (black in preservative); body typically wider in rear than in front; tail fin clear with fine scattered dark dots and lines that are most numerous in upper fin; eyes close together on top of head; intestine visible through skin; jaws serrated, never with a single cusp; lower jaw striated; usually 4-5 rows of tiny teeth on upper lip and on lower lip; no dark horny area on roof of mouth; usually not more than 3.5 cm (1.4 inches) long.
Eggs
Deposited in a cluster, cylindrical mass, or string of several to more than 100, attached to submerged plants or other objects in shallow water.
Life History
Spends most of its life buried in the soil. Emerges to breed after heavy rains in spring or summer. Larvae develop quickly and metamorphose into small toads within a few weeks.