Considering I spent most of yesterday thinking it was Monday….I am really surprised that it is already Wednesday. Don’t get me wrong, it is a pleasant surprise but I still can’t believe it. Since I feel like I have had my head buried in the sand lately, I figured we should learn about an animal that actually buries their head in the sand. Actually, they bury their entire body but my point still applies. Of course, I am talking about a little amphibian called the Spadefoot Toad. Any guesses why it is called the Spadefoot? Come on, I am sure you know this one.
Well of course, the Spadefoot Toad has family members that actually have a little spade-like projection on the side of their hind legs. Naturally they use this tiny shovel to help dig their burrows. Oh and they use it to make the biggest and best sand castles when they are relaxing on the beach.
Okay, so let’s back up a little and talk about the types of Spadefoot Toads that exist on our wonderful planet. There are basically two main types which are pretty easy to tell apart. First you have the ones that live in North America and then you have the other ones that live in Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa. So when you see a cool looking Spadefoot Toad, just ask yourself when you are standing and you will instantly be able to tell if it is the American or the European Spadefoot that you are looking at.
Truth be told, no matter what continent you are on, you probably won’t see too many of these toads. As we alluded to earlier, these toads spend the majority of their time underground. In fact, they are capable of spending weeks at a time in their sweet, underground home. Normally, they will come to the surface during the evening after it rains so they can find a scrumptious meal or two. When they make this road trip to the surface they are specifically looking for large invertebrates like snails, grasshoppers or caterpillars. Although, when they are young they prefer to feed on vegetation (probably a lot easier to catch than a grasshopper).
Well, I think we have dug up a enough facts on the Spadefoot Toad so let’s call it a day. Will I see you tomorrow?
