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Searching for Spadefoots

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This is an update on a project we have written about previously.
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Virginia Master Naturalist and public help is requested for an ongoing study of Eastern Spadefoot toads in Virginia.  Very little is known about the distribution and habits of this species in Virginia.  Researchers think this frog is more common and more widespread than what is currently known.  This is why they are seeking help in increasing knowledge about this secretive frog.  

Identifying characteristics include: 

  • Vertical oriented pupils
  • Brownish colored body (the color is highly variable)
  • Two yellow lines running along the back
  • 2-3 inches long

For more pictures of Eastern Spadefoots and look-alike toads, visit the Virginia Herpetological Society website.  You can also listen to recordings of their calls there.

Places to Look and Listen

  • Roads near wetlands
  • Vernal pools (temporary bodies of water which dry up by the end of the summer)
  • Ditches
  • Swimming pools
  • Flooded agricultural fields

When to Look

  • After heavy rains, perhaps during any month of the year

How Can You Assist in This Project?
If you make any observation of an Eastern Spadefoot, then take several digital photos of it from side view and a back view.  You may also digitally record it calling.  Please send digital photos, recordings, or any observation (including location information) to Jason Gibson at Patrick Henry Community College and Travis Anthony at Reynolds Community College.

This project is a collaborative project of Patrick Henry Community College, Reynolds Community College, the Virginia Herpetological Society, and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Map of counties in Virginia. Counties without data on Eastern Spadefoot toads are shown in greyish-blue and are primarily in Southwest Virginia, the Alleghany Highlands, and Central Virginia. Verified observations are shown in black and are primarily in southside and southeast Virginia, the Middle Peninsula, the Eastern Shore, the Northern Neck, the Shenandoah Valley, and Northern Virginia.

Map of Virginia counties. The light blue counties are those that currently have no data about Eastern Spadefoot populations. The black counties are those with verified observations of Eastern Spadefoots.

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