Natterjack Toad

Fascinating facts about the Natterjack Toad

• A bright yellow stripe runs down the centre of its back, a mark that sets the natterjack apart from the common toad. It lives in sandy and heathland areas across Europe, where this colouration is a useful field identifier. Adults reach 60-70 mm in length, a modest size for a toad, and alongside the stripe they display parallel paratoid glands that are characteristic of the species.
• The male's single vocal sac under the chin turns its call into a booming sound that can be heard across the dunes. This very loud, distinctive mating call is crucial because the species often occurs in low numbers, allowing distant individuals to locate each other for breeding. Spawning takes place from the end of April to July, when males call from shallow, warm pools to attract females.
• Its legs are unusually short for a toad, giving it a distinctive gait that contrasts with the hopping movement of most other toad species. At night the toad moves across open terrain with sparse vegetation, leaving clear tracks in loose sand as it searches for food. These nightly journeys can cover considerable distances, helping the species to colonise new habitats.
• The natterjack toad will only lay its eggs in shallow pools that have a very slightly sloping bottom and only sparse vegetation on the banks and in the water. Such pools are often temporary, so tadpoles may die when the water disappears. To offset this risk the species spreads its breeding over an extended period each summer, meaning that by September the juveniles can be anywhere from one to three months old.
• Natterjack toads can live for up to fifteen years, spending most of that time hunting insects, especially beetles. At night they wander across open terrain with sparse vegetation, leaving clear tracks in loose sand as they search for prey. These nocturnal forays can cover considerable distances, which enables the species to colonise new habitats.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Natterjack Toad

In the warm, golden light of a summer's evening, the natterjack toad emerges from its subterranean hiding places, its spindly legs carrying it with a curious, loping gait across the sandy dunes and heathlands it calls home. As it moves, its mottled brown skin blends seamlessly into the surroundings, allowing it to navigate this fragile, ephemeral world with stealth and precision. With a chorus of rasping, melodic calls, the natterjack toad announces its presence to the world, a primal, haunting sound that echoes across the landscape like a whispered secret.

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