European Toad (Bufo bufo) lives in temperate forests across Europe and Western Asia. It feeds on insects and worms. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the European Toad
- A gelatinous egg string can contain up to 6 000 eggs and be up to 4.5 m long, highlighting the toad's massive reproductive output. The gelatinous egg strings, which may contain 1,500 to 6,000 eggs and be 3 to 4.5 metres (10 to 15 ft) in length, become entangled in plant stalks.
- Toads can travel more than three kilometres to return to the exact pond where they were born, demonstrating uncanny navigation skills. Toads experimentally moved elsewhere and fitted with tracking devices have been found to be able to locate their chosen breeding pond when the displacement exceeded three kilometres (two miles). This long-distance homing ability relies on a suite of orientation cues, including smell, magnetism and visual landmarks.
- A single adult can live up to twelve years in the wild. In the wild, common toads are thought to live for about ten to twelve years. Their age can be determined by counting the number of annual growth rings in the bones of their phalanges. Such longevity makes them vulnerable to road mortality during annual migrations.
- A parasitic fly can turn a toad into a living buffet by feeding from inside its nostrils, killing the host. A parasitic fly, Lucilia bufonivora, attacks adult common toads. The fly lays its eggs on the toad's skin, and when they hatch, the larvae crawl into the toad's nostrils and eat its flesh from inside, with lethal consequences.
- In 2007, researchers using a remotely operated underwater vehicle to survey Loch Ness in Scotland, observed a common toad moving along the lake bed at a depth of approximately 99 m (324 ft).
Sources
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At a glance
RangeEurope and Western Asia
HabitatTemperate forests
DietInsects and worms
About the European Toad
As the sun dips below the horizon, the European Toad emerges from its underground refuge, its warty skin glistening with dew as it embarks on a nocturnal pilgrimage in search of insects and invertebrates to devour. With a slow and deliberate gait, it moves through the landscape, its golden eyes blinking wisely as it navigates the intricate tapestry of forest and field, a humble yet resilient presence that has endured for millennia. In this quiet, unassuming way, the European Toad weaves its own unique thread into the rich narrative of the natural world.
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European Toad photographed on Feravox
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