The Great Basin Spadefoot (Spea intermontana) is a species of toad in the Scaphiopodidae family. The Great Basin Spadefoot is a small, rather rotund amphibian, grey or olive green in colour. The eyes are very large, golden yellow, and set on the sides of the head; the pupils are vertical. The tympana ("ears") are small and inconspicuous. They have a bump between the eyes, giving the head a distinctive shape.
Ten Facts about Great Basin Spadefoot
- The Great Basin Spadefoot ranges from 3.8 to 6.3 cm long.
- The natural habitats of the Great Basin Spadefoot include pinyon-juniper, ponderosa pine, and high elevation spruce-fir forests, semidesert shrubland, sagebrush flats, temperate grasslands, and deserts.
- The Great Basin Spadefoot can be found from southern British Columbia through the eastern portions of Washington and Oregon and in southern Idaho, they are also present in small areas in California, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming.
- Ants and beetles are their most common prey. Feeding seems to be generalized and opportunistic; the toads will eat anything they can subdue.
- Reported predators of adult Great Basin Spadefoot toads include rattlesnakes, coyotes, and owls.
- Adults are able to produce skin secretions that cause allergic reactions in some humans, including a burning sensation if the secretion gets in the eyes or nose.
- Breeding may take place in permanent or temporary water sources such as springs, sluggish streams, and manmade reservoirs during the months of April through July.
- Females usually lay 300-500 eggs, but have been reported lay as many as 1000 eggs in captivity.
- Eggs hatch in 2 to 4 days.
- Total length of tadpoles just before they metamorphose into toadlets is about 30 to 70 mm.