Scaphiopus couchii
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
Couch's spadefoot toad or Couch's spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchii) is a species of North American spadefoot toad (family Scaphiopodidae). The specific epithet couchii is in honor of American naturalist Darius Nash Couch, who collected the first specimen while on a personal expedition to northern Mexico to collect plant, mineral, and animal specimens for the Smithsonian Institution.
Unlike other toads which have horizontal pupils, spadefoot toads have vertical pupils. On the underside of the hind foot is a hard, dark "spade" that gives spadefoot toads their name. The length of this spadefoot ranges from 5.5 to 9 cm (2.2 to 3.5 in), and body color being yellow to yellow-green, with darker mottling. These "spades" are used by the toads to burrow into the ground to prevent water loss and hide from predators. There are two spadefoot species in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and California. Couch's spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus couchi) has a sickle-shaped "spade", whereas the western spadefoot toad (Spea hammondii) has a rounded "spade". Contrary to the name, spadefoots are not true toads
Couch's spadefoot is native to the United States southwest of southeastern... Wikipedia →
Advertisement call0:10
United States · 2013
© Chris Harrison · XC893997 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Recording0:14
United States · 2019
© Jon McIntyre · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:11
Mexico · 2026
© Bjorn V. Peterson · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Couch's Spadefoot sighting in Cabo Pulmo National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June, September and November–December
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Couch's Spadefoot in Cabo Pulmo National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February to May, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Couch's Spadefoot sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Couch's Spadefoot sightings, Cabo Pulmo National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Saguaro National Park (United States, about 20%) and El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Couch's Spadefoot is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Cabo Pulmo National Park (15 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
