Description:

The Australian mole toad (Taplabufo novaehollandiae) is a species of toad that evolved to take a niche similar to a mole. These toads evolved from the modern-day invasive cane toad. They evolved to live underground after a period of global heating. Birds adapting to avoid the poisonous organs also pushed them underground. The fossil record shows that they also appeared shortly after the extinction of the marsupial moles (Notoryctes). They eventually developed claws to help them dig through the hard soil of their environment. These claws are outgrows of the bone covered in a thick keratin layer. They also have a flattened and outwardly extended head that acts as a beak. This long head allows them to catch worms and insects underground. They also have small toxin glands that are spread unevenly on the back. This trait differs from their ancestors, who had two large toxic glands near the head. They are about 10 to 18 centimeters from snout to rear. They weigh about 80 to 100 grams. They are usually light brown but can be darker brown or greenish-brown. They tend to live about 10 to 12 years in the wild but can live 20 years in captivity.

Distribution:

These frogs live in the flat tropical plains and open savanna woodland of the Great Australian Plain. They typically spend most of their time underground, where the soil is far more damp and moist. This type of environment helps them not to desiccate.

Diet:

These toads primarily eat fossorial insects, earthworms, arachnids, slugs, snails, centipedes, millipedes, and sometimes small vertebrates.

Predators:

These toads are mainly hunted by the region's predatory birds, small to medium carnivorous mammals, snakes, and monitor lizards. Unlike their ancestors, predators evolved immunity and resistance to their poisons. This evolutionary arms race has made the toad more toxic to humans over time but less toxic to Australia's native wildlife.

Reproduction:

Being amphibians, these animals need to reproduce near or in water. Unlike other terrestrial frogs that go straight into their adult frog stage, these toads still go through the tadpole stage. To counteract this, these frogs have evolved to breed during a specific time of the year. Breeding season usually starts about a week before the rainy season. At night, males will create a hole near the surface and produce a loud croaking noise. The females will crawl towards the loudest males. Once the female reaches a male's burrow, they will both enter the burrow, and the toads begin to mate. After this mating ritual, all the toads will burrow back into the ground. When the rains fall, the female toads will reemerge from their burrows and lay their eggs in the ponds and puddles that cover the land. These toads produce long jelly-like chains of eggs. These eggs are coated with a foul-tasting toxin, which prevents predators from eating them. The eggs develop into tadpoles and feed on the algae, aquatic plants, and other organic detritus. By the end of the dry season, the tadpoles will become fully grown toads. Once the toads are mature, they will leave the water and transition to the fossorial adult stage. The young toads repeat the same process next year.