This article is a study of blocking and overshadowing phenomena in a spatial learning task tested in an amphibian, the common toad Rhinella arenarum.Both phenomena, previously observed in other vertebrates, are described for the first time in a group with a phylogenetically ancient brain -the amphibians.Specifically, it was observed during spatial learning: (1) blocking between visual cues associated to a goal, and (2) overshadowing of a distant visual cue by the presence of a nearby cue.This fact is a precedent for the study of the biological mechanisms that rules spatial learning, thereby looking for common functional patterns with other vertebrates, potentially present in a common ancestor.