Eastern spadefoot
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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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