Spadefoot toads spend most of the year buried in the mud. When rain falls, they emerge and breed quickly, before the pool dries up again. The females lay their eggs in the water, and the tadpoles hatch after only two days. Most tadpoles take months to grow up, but spadefoot tadpoles become adults in just two weeks. As the pool dries out and turns to mud, the young toads bury themselves, to wait for the next shower of rain.