the National Park Service

“ The snout is quite short and on the back there are long oval shaped parotoid glands. There is a long cream colored stripe down its back, which can be very faint as well. They have dark red spots which are outlined by an even darker color. Like the spadefoot toad it survives the driest of weather by burrowing underground. On each hind foot is a hard rubbery knob which helps it dig quickly when needed. They generally emerge after heavy rainfall. ”

“ Woodhouse's toad is nocturnal. In areas of human development, they can be seen feeding on the insects attracted to lights. They eat a variety of insects and spiders, including ants, bees, scorpions, and insect larvae. While they prefer wetlands and pools, they can be found long distances from permanent bodies of water, especially during monsoon season in the Grand Canyon. While many amphibians in the Grand Canyon have been negatively affected by introduced fish, Woodhouse's toad is not palatable to some introduced fish. ”

“ The toads have a bump between the eyes, which gives the head a distinctive shape. Spadefoots have bumpy skin but do not look as “warty” as Western Toads. A spadefoot sitting still on the ground looks like a large pebble, so they can go undetected by a predator. Adults range from 4 to 6.5 centimeters from nose to end. ”