Common Eurasian spadefoot toad vs Komodo Dragon

Pelobates fuscus compared with Varanus komodoensis

Key Differences

Common Eurasian spadefoot toad is Critically Endangered while Komodo Dragon is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Eurasian spadefoot toad	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class	Amphibia (สัตว์สะเทินน้ำสะเทินบก)	Reptilia (สัตว์เลื้อยคลาน)
Order	Anura (อันดับกบ)	Squamata (อันดับกิ้งก่าและงู)
Family	Pelobatidae	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Pelobates	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Pelobates fuscus	Varanus komodoensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Eurasian spadefoot toad and Komodo Dragon share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)

ดู: Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

Common Eurasian spadefoot toad

CR — Critically Endangered

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Eurasian spadefoot toad	Komodo Dragon
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	30 years
Average Length	—	2.6 m
Average Weight	—	70.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Eurasian spadefoot toad

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 8 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Russia, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Komodo Dragon

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Indonesia. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Eurasian spadefoot toad

<em>Pelobates fuscus</em>, the common Eurasian spadefoot toad, is a fossorial amphibian in the family Pelobatidae, listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, reflecting severe population declines and an urgent conservation status across its range. The species is documented in Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Russia, and Sweden, and is associated with multiple biome types in the Palearctic region, typically favoring sandy, loose soils in agricultural landscapes, sandy heathlands, and open forests that facilitate its burrowing lifestyle. <em>Pelobates fuscus</em> spends the majority of its life underground, emerging primarily during the breeding season in spring to migrate to shallow, well-vegetated ponds, ditches, and slow-moving waterbodies for reproduction. The species is characterized by its smooth, mottled skin, large golden or yellowish eyes with vertical pupils, and the hardened metatarsal tubercle on each hind foot that serves as a digging tool. Tadpoles of this species are unusually large and can take up to five months to metamorphose. Primary threats include habitat loss through land-use change, drainage of breeding ponds, agricultural intensification, road mortality during migration, and degradation of sandy habitats essential for burrowing. Conservation efforts focus on habitat restoration and the creation of wildlife corridors. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.