The desert rain frog is a plump species with bulging eyes, a short snout, short limbs, spade-like feet, and webbed toes. On the underside, it has a translucent area of skin through which its internal organs can be seen. It can be between 4 and 6 centimetres (1.6 and 2.4 in) long. Its color is yellowish-brown, and sand often adheres to its skin Sand sticks to the frogs entire body, excluding the mouth and nose, and can likely be attributed to a type of sticky secretion, as removal of sand from the frog is difficult. Unlike most other species of frogs, it develops directly from the egg into adults without passing through the tadpole stage. It has a stout body with small legs, which makes it unable to hop or leap, so it walks around on the sand. Unusually for a frog, it does not require water in its habitat to survive, but it does not have any apparent adaptation to prevent water loss.[8] Its eyes are comparatively large and bulging. The lifespan ranges between 4 and 14 years