spadefoot toad

American  

noun

1. any of several nocturnal toads of the family Pelobatidae, common in the Northern Hemisphere, characterized by a horny, spadelike projection on each hind foot for burrowing under the soil.

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Etymology

Origin of spadefoot toad

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70

Example Sentences

They include the black bear, Western scrub jay, California flannel brush, California bumble bee, California halibut, Northern elephant seal, Dungeness crab, California bay tree, Western spadefoot toad, and the endangered black abalone.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2023

In one species of spadefoot toad, they found, the carnivorous tadpole stage has become entrenched—there's no need for a dietary trigger.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 28, 2018

Examples of animal cannibalism are as numerous as they are interesting, from spadefoot toad larvae who eat their own brood-mates to legless amphibians called caecilians whose hatchlings peel and consume their mothers’ skin.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2017

For two spadefoot toad species whose ranges overlap in the American Southwest, the water levels in seasonal ponds affect their mating habits.

From New York Times • Aug. 14, 2014