Amphibians

Amphibians have many adaptations that allow them to live in deserts. Some species must live near permanent water. Others dig burrows up to 3 feet deep, where they may spend nine or ten months of the year, only emerging during or after the summer rains. During these brief periods there is a frenzy of activity - breeding and eating enough to sustain life until the next rains. Couch's Spadefoot is capable of eating up to 55% of its body weight in one night; its eggs hatch within 15 hours, and the tadpoles metamorphose in 11-12 days!

Tonto National Monument is home to at least 6 different species of amphibian. To view a list of animals at Tonto National Monument, click on the link. To learn more about the animals shown, click on their picture.

Recommendations from our bookstore:
A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert edited by Steven J. Phillips and Patricia Wentworth Comus
National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southwestern States by Peter Alden and Peter Friederici
50 Common Reptiles & Amphibians of the Southwest by Jonathan Hanson and Rosemary Beggy Hanson

Colorado River Toad	Red-spotted Toad	Woodhouse's Toad
Great Plains Toad	Canyon Treefrog	Couch's Spadefoot