Last night a mega monsoon storm hit our area with high winds, and buckets of much needed rain. Our rain gauge which was a little tilted because of the wind measured three inches. We've been waiting since February for a significant rain, and we were blessed with a downpour. Within an hour into the storm, the bleating of goats or maybe sheep filled the air. But it wasn't either one. The sound came from small, but very loud, male spadefoot toads which remain buried in the sand until a major rain. The boys were trying to attract the girls--nothing new in nature.
The unique life cycle of the spadefoot is all about waiting--a very long time, sometimes more than a year to emerge from the earth and reproduce. But once they emerge, they must get the job done in quick order. Temporary ponds formed by runoff in the desert are tricky things. They can disappear in week or two. Often the pools of water evaporate within a few days. Toads and frogs lay eggs which then hatch into polliwogs. Because of their unique desert nature, the spadefoot toads waste no time, and their Creator gave their reproductive cycle a much quicker turnaround time than many other amphibians. Females can lay
up to 3,000 eggs in one night and the eggs can hatch within 15 hours. The tadpoles quickly metamorphose into young toads within 9-14 days. The desert is a harsh place, and a small number of toads actually make it. Those who do, eat as much as they can hold and using the hind "spadefoot" dig into the sand to wait until the next monsoon.
Not exactly an exciting life, but they eat a pile of insects before they disappear into the depths of the desert, which makes them quite useful. Last year the monsoon wasn't plentiful where we live, and the spadefoots didn't get much of a chance to enjoy the rain. I missed that weird chorus of bleating amphibians who joyously greet the monsoon with such wild abandon. They more than made up for it last night.
What an amazing God we have who made such intricate and incredible creatures! I'm convinced the sheep imitation shows His sense of humor in gifting a three-inch toad with such a peculiar and LOUD voice. They must make Him laugh.
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. Isaiah 40:28 NLT
The unique life cycle of the spadefoot is all about waiting--a very long time, sometimes more than a year to emerge from the earth and reproduce. But once they emerge, they must get the job done in quick order. Temporary ponds formed by runoff in the desert are tricky things. They can disappear in week or two. Often the pools of water evaporate within a few days. Toads and frogs lay eggs which then hatch into polliwogs. Because of their unique desert nature, the spadefoot toads waste no time, and their Creator gave their reproductive cycle a much quicker turnaround time than many other amphibians. Females can lay
up to 3,000 eggs in one night and the eggs can hatch within 15 hours. The tadpoles quickly metamorphose into young toads within 9-14 days. The desert is a harsh place, and a small number of toads actually make it. Those who do, eat as much as they can hold and using the hind "spadefoot" dig into the sand to wait until the next monsoon.
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| photo: wikimedia |
What an amazing God we have who made such intricate and incredible creatures! I'm convinced the sheep imitation shows His sense of humor in gifting a three-inch toad with such a peculiar and LOUD voice. They must make Him laugh.
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. Isaiah 40:28 NLT
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