Pelobates fuscus
Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Pelobates fuscus is a species of toad in the family Pelobatidae, native to an area extending from Central Europe to Western Asia. It is commonly known as the common spadefoot, garlic toad, the common spadefoot toad and the European common spadefoot.
The common spadefoot grows to a length of approximately 6.5 centimetres (2.6 in) for males and 8 centimetres (3.1 in) for females. The skin colouration varies depending upon habitat, gender and region, but is usually light-grey to beige-brown on the dorsal surface. The skin is mottled by darker marks that differ between individuals. The belly is white, sometimes with grey mottling. Albino specimens have been observed.
Two subspecies are traditionally recognised: Pelobates fuscus fuscus (from central Europe) and Pelobates fuscus insubricus (from Northern Italy). In reality there is no physical or behavioural character allowing to distinguish these supposed subspecies. A recent study showed that there is no haplotype segregation for the populations of Northern Italy, that, therefore, are not to be ascribed to a different subspecies. Haplotypes from some Northern Italian valleys are very characteristic and support a different conception in terms of conservation: not for a different taxonomic position but, instead, for a peculiar differentiation. Populations from eastern Europe appear sufficiently different that they may warrant a separate species status (Pelobates vespertinus).
When alarmed, it emits a very loud call (alarm call) and it can exude a noxious secretion which smells like garlic, hence its common name. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Spadefoot sighting in Fertő-Hanság National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 8 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Spadefoot in Fertő-Hanság National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August–September and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Spadefoot sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Fertő-Hanság National Park, in our data
Fertő-Hanság National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Common Spadefoot sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Anura
The closest relatives of the Common Spadefoot that you can see in Fertő-Hanság National Park (order Anura, Frogs and Toads) are European Tree Frog (about 40%), Green Toad (about 30%) and European Fire-Bellied Toad (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Spadefoot is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Fertő-Hanság National Park (20 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.
