Couch's Spadefoot Scaphiopus couchi
In this species at the base of each hind foot is a dark, sickle-shaped keratinous ?spade,? hence the name spadefoot This feature helps the animal to burrow in the ground of arid or semi-arid regions of SW USA where they live, therefore avoiding the heat They emerge after heavy rainfall to breed in temporary pools and hearing thunder, not the presence of moisture, seems to be the stimulus that brings them to the surface
Size: 5200px × 3979px
Photo credit: © Alex Haas / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: amphibian, amphibians, anura, anurans, burrow, burrowers, chordates, couch, couch?, couchi, dig, digging, face, feet, foot, green, pelobatidae, portrait, salientia, scaphiopus, spade, spadefoot, spadefoots, toad, toads, usa, vertebrata, vertebrate, vertebrates, wildlife
