short-limbed toad with rough skin - covered with warts, prominent parallel parotid glands
and (usually) a bright yellow stripe centrally down the back (B159, B160, B161).
- Male: to about 2.5 inches; Female: slightly larger (B161).
- Normally 7-8cm, occasionally to 10cm, females larger than males (B159).
Head: Parallel parotid glands (B159).
Eye: Greenish yellow (B160, B161);
Legs: Relatively short, toes no more than half webbed (B159, B160).
Skin: Warty (B159, B161).
- Dorsal:: grey/olive green,/brownish with darker markings
(brown/green/red warts) and yellowish stripe central from snout caudally to end of body.
- Abdomen: whitish, with dark green spotting.
- Bluish/mauve (B161).
- Vocal sac under chin, inflated when calling (B161).
- Three inner fingers of forelimbs have grasping pads (B161).
- Paired tubercles under longest hind toe (B159).
Tadpole: Similar to those of common toads, darker than
those of frogs and smaller than similar-age frog tadpoles or common toad tadpoles (B161).
Similar species: .Differentiated from Bufo bufo - Common toad
by smaller size, parallel parotid glands and yellow stripe down centre of back (B159).
|Range and Habitat
and central Europe eastwards to western Russia.(B159).
Britain: Scattered, local distribution, including south-west Ireland (B159, B161).
- In north of range (including Britain) found in sandy areas.
- In remainder of range, wider variety of habitats.
- Up to 200m in Iberia.
- Remain near pond. Much of time is spent in crannies, or in burrows in soft sand.
- Active swimmers.
- Walk on land, and run, are also able to hop.
- Poor swimmer.
- Burrow in soft soil/sand.
- Mainly nocturnal.
- In summer spend daytime in burrows, emerge at night to feed.
- Head-down, hindquarters-up posture when alarmed.
(B159, B160, B161).
- Crows, magpies, herons
- Rats, hedgehogs, stoats and weasels
- Some Natrix natrix - Grass snake.
Skin shedding: --
Longevity: More than 15 years (B160).
Place: in shallow water, sometimes in puddles near a
pond rather than in the pond itself (B160, B161 ).
Timing: Late March to beginning of August but usually
late April to June in Britain (B160);
Mid-April to as late as July (B161)
Courtship: Male clasps female, gripping axillae (B160).
Eggs: 3,000 - 4,000 laid in strings; initially in two
rows, later in a single row (B160, B161 ).
Tadpole development: Rapid. Tadpole free of egg by
about a week after spawning. Develop into toadlets by six to eight weeks. May leave water
by early June (B160, B161)
- Late October to late February or early March.
- In burrows or under large stones B161
Adults: Beetles, other insects, worms, spiders, woodlice, small
Tadpoles: initially algae on leaves and stems of plants, later animal
food: dead fish, fledglings, tadpoles (B161).
Feeding: Catch prey on the move (B160).
Organisations (UK Contacts):