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Natterjack Toad

 
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The Natterjack Toad (Epidalea calamita, formerly Bufo calamita) is a toad
Toad

A toad can refer to a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura. A distinction is often made between frogs and toads by their appearance, prompted by the convergent evolution among so-called "toads" to dry habitats....
 native to sandy and heathland
Heath (habitat)

A heath or heathland is a Chamaephyte habitat found on mainly infertile acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often Dominance by plants of the Ericaceae....
 areas of Northern Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
. Adults are 60 - 70 mm in length and are distinguished from the common toad by a yellow line down the middle of the back. They have relatively long legs, and this gives them a distinctive gait, contrasting with the hopping movement of many other toad species.

Natterjacks have a very loud and distinctive mating call, amplified by the single vocal sack found under the chin of the male animal.

toad lives for up to 12 years and feeds on insects, weevils and other small animals.






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The Natterjack Toad (Epidalea calamita, formerly Bufo calamita) is a toad
Toad

A toad can refer to a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura. A distinction is often made between frogs and toads by their appearance, prompted by the convergent evolution among so-called "toads" to dry habitats....
 native to sandy and heathland
Heath (habitat)

A heath or heathland is a Chamaephyte habitat found on mainly infertile acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often Dominance by plants of the Ericaceae....
 areas of Northern Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
. Adults are 60 - 70 mm in length and are distinguished from the common toad by a yellow line down the middle of the back. They have relatively long legs, and this gives them a distinctive gait, contrasting with the hopping movement of many other toad species.

Natterjacks have a very loud and distinctive mating call, amplified by the single vocal sack found under the chin of the male animal.

Life history

This toad lives for up to 12 years and feeds on insects, weevils and other small animals. At night it moves along open terrains with very sparse vegetation and in loose sand the tracks can often be seen. They move along considerable distances each night, which enables the species to colonize new habitats very quickly.

Reproduction

The Natterjack Toad spawns between the end of April and July, laying 'strings' of eggs in shallow pools. The loud mating calls are important because the Natterjack Toad is often present in low numbers so it is important that the sexes can find each other.

The pools need to have a very slight slope with a sparse vegetation on the banks and in the water. These are very often temporary pools and sometimes the larvae die when the pools dry out. The Natterjack however compensates for that risk by mating a few times each summer and the age of the juveniles can vary from a month to 3 months in September. It appears that the early breeders are not the same individuals as the toads that reproduce later in the season.

The Natterjack toad is the only species of toad native to Ireland, and is found in the regions of West Kerry in Castlegregory.

Conservation


In the UK this species is one of only three amphibians protected under the national Biodiversity Action Plan
Biodiversity Action Plan

This article is about a conservation biology topic. For other uses of BAP, see BAP .A 'Biodiversity Action Plan' is an internationally recognized program addressing threatened species and habitats and is designed to protect and restore biological systems....
. The reason for the threatened status of this organism is: (a) loss of habitat from human overpopulation
Overpopulation

Overpopulation is a condition where an organism's numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. In common parlance, the term usually refers to the relationship between the world population and its environment , the Earth....
, (b) reduction in habitable coast from construction of dykes and seawalls, and (c) acidification of aquatic habitat from acid rain
Acid rain

Acid rain is rain or any other form of Precipitation that is unusually acidic. It has harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure....
 and other pollution
Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms ....
 factors. This species can also be found in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. in the U.S.A.

External links

  • West Palaearctic distribution.


Further reading

Korky, J.K. 2008. Notes on the 2007 breeding season of the Natterjack Toad Epidalea calamita Laurenti (Anura: Bufonidae) in Ireland. Bull. Ir. biogeog. Soc. 32:21 - 31.