RICHMOND — For years, the only known breeding colony of eastern spadefoot toads in Rhode Island was in the Scudder Preserve, a wooded expanse tucked away in rural Richmond. So on the rainy morning of ...

The desert conditions of the Southwestern United States can make life tough for water-dwelling creatures. But some of the ecosystem's animals have learned to adapt — and get creative with their love ...

PROVIDENCE — The eastern spadefoot toad is a state-endangered animal in Rhode Island that is known to populate only a handful of sites around the state. But a newly-employed detection technique is ...

As a general rule of thumb, most of the world’s wild animals keep their instinctual mating practices within their own species bubble. But if you’re a female plains spadefoot toad, then you just might ...

MILTON -- The eastern spadefoot toad was placed on the endangered list in 2005 when it was found there are only two locations in the state where they live. Pennsylvania is near the northern limit of ...

This is a preview. Log in through your library . Abstract Polyphenism is the expression of multiple, discrete phenotypes from one genotype, and understanding the environmental factors that trigger ...

Monsoon rains not only cool the air and bathe the desert. They also set the stage for a loud and lusty burst of amphibian amour. Several species of desert toads - quietly tucked away underground for ...

Ian Ives wants to get close enough to a spadefoot toad to see the glint in its eye. Who wouldn't want to lock eyes with a comely spadefoot toad, no better way to find a prince or a princess. That's ...

First it threw a wrench in plans for a park in the Gray’s Woods neighborhood. Then the Eastern spadefoot toad changed the path of a proposed bicycle and pedestrian trail along Circleville Road. It was ...

When rain falls and water is plentiful, the sex lives of plains spadefoot toads are pretty, well, plain. Females prowl ponds for the suitor with the most winsome call; they pair off to couple, ...

Scientists have long thought that when two animals from two different species mate, it’s a colossal error and the end of the road for the mismatched couple. It’s ...

The evolution of male breeding aggregations is difficult to explain because males may reduce their reproductive success by associating with their closest competitors. We examined aggregative behavior ...