Eastern spadefoot
Eastern spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrookii)
Eastern spadefoots are amphibians with fairly smooth skin scattered with tiny warts. They range in color from olive to brown to black with two tan-yellow stripes that form a rough hourglass shape on their back. Look also for the tiny black spade-like projection on their hind feet, used for digging into the sand. Spadefoots spend a lot of time underground, sometimes weeks at a time.
Habitat: These amphibians favor areas with sandy or loose soil and breed in vernal pools and other temporary bodies of water (occasionally even on flooded trails).
Cool facts:
• Eastern spadefoots have vertical pupils, unlike most other frogs and toads!
• This mostly subterranean amphibians can survive droughts by going dormant in their burrows for extended periods of time until heavy rains signal an end to the drought.
• The eastern spadefoot toad is a wildlife Species of Greatest Conservation Need in NYS.
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