Toads

Toads are amphibians and are characterised by a broad, squat body, with short toes, webbed hind feet and a more rounded snout than on the frog. Their eyes are orange with black horizontal pupils. They have a dry leathery skin compared to frogs and are covered in raised warts, particularly on the back and sides.

Their skin colour varies according to time of year, area, sex and age. They can be dark brown, grey, olive, terracotta or sandy coloured, with a grey-white underside, and are sometimes covered in darker markings on their backs. They have two prominent glands behind the eyes called the parotid, which produce a foul-tasting and irritating secretion.

Males have thicker forelimbs and shorter fingers than females, and can be easily distinguished by the dark-coloured nuptial pads on the inner three fingers of their front legs. These pads become more prominent during the breeding season.  Toads spend most of their time living on land, their hind legs are shorter than frogs and tend to crawl rather than jump.

Adult toads feed on insects, slugs, snails and worms which they catch with a long sticky tongue and like frogs is why they are one of the ‘good guys’ in the garden.

There are two kinds of toads native to Britain. These are the Common Toad and the Natterjack Toad.

Toad Types

Common Toad (Bufo bufo)

The Common toad is approximately 8-15cm long and is widespread throughout Britain, although does not appear in Ireland. It is usually found in damp areas of deciduous woodland, scrub, gardens parks and fields.  Although in the breeding season they will move to larger ponds, lakes and slow moving rivers.

Toads can sometimes be seen in the daytime if it has been raining but they are primarily active at night.  During the day it will shelter under tree roots, stones and vegetation and will dig itself a shallow burrow.  Common toads regularly shed their skin, which they then eat and they are renowned for secreting a toxin or irritant substance from their skin that prevents most predators from eating them with the exception of grass snakes and hedgehogs.  Common toads can live up to the age of 40.

Natterjack Toad (Bufo calamita)

The Natterjack toad is approximately 7-8cm long and found mainly in the coastal dunes of East Anglia and in the North West of England. It used to be common on southern heathlands but generally now its numbers are declining and it is protected by law in carefully monitored sites. It is green, brownish green or cream but the most striking feature is the prominent yellow line down the back and the warts also tend to be yellow.  The Natterjack toad has shorter legs than the common toad and runs instead of walking.  It spawns in a similar way to the common toad but produces a single row of eggs instead of the double layer of the common toad. The Nattejack is nocturnal and spends most of it’s time in burrows that it excavates using its’ rear limbs. It also has a loud and distinctive call produced by the male who inflates a large vocal sac under his chin.

Life Cycle

There are 4 stages in the life cycle of a Toad :

SPAWN – Common toads spawn amongst waterweed and vegetation. Unlike the frog who spawns in clumps, the female toad releases long strings of eggs which the male fertilizes. There are typically between 600-4000 eggs in two strands for the common toad and one strand for the Natterjack, woven around the plant material.

TADPOLES – The eggs hatch into tadpoles within 10 days.  They are black in colour, slightly smaller than frog tadpoles and distasteful to most predators.  However the majority will not survive to adulthood.

METAMORPHOSIS – At the end of the tadpole stage toads undergo metamorphosis where they make the transition from the tadpole to the adult toad.  This process takes 2-3 months during which the toad will grow front and hind legs, looses its’ gills and develops lungs.  Its’ intestines also change to allow it to move to a carnivorous diet and the eyes also begin to protrude and move to the side to allow for binocular vision. The final stage is when the frog looses its’ tail which is re-absorbed into its’ body.

ADULT – Around May the young toad will leave the water and feed on land.  It is about 1cm in length and will continue to grow until it doubles in size and reaches maturity usually at 4 years when it will begin breeding itself.

Benefits

Toads are one of the ‘good guys’ in the garden as they feast on insects, slugs and snails.  They are also an ideal introduction to wildlife for children.

Avoiding Dangers

Toads having special chemicals in their skins to dissuade potential predators, and should therefore be handled carefully, if gloves are not worn it could cause some itching of the skin, but long term ill-effects are unlikely.  If a dog should pick up a toad it will normally react quickly by spitting it out and no serious consequences have been reported so far.

Encouraging Toads

Avoid Slug Pellets

The use of slug pellets in the garden can be quite harmful to toads.  Slug pellets include copper to give them their characteristic blue colour designed to make them unattractive to birds. Toads feast on half dead slugs, some with slug pellets attached, and end up with large quantities of copper in their livers which damages their immune system, makes them more susceptible to disease.

Avoid Pea Netting

If possible avoid using pea netting close to the ground as toads can get caught up in it.

Ponds

Larger ponds in a sunny spot with no overhanging trees, a good mix of aquatic plants and most importantly with shallow edges will attract toads and provide an ideal breeding environment. Plants cover grown round the edges will also provide some cover from predators.

Nesting Material

To attract toads to your garden leave some long grass, a few piles of leaves, rocks, logs or wood stacks around and dark, damp corners for them to live and shelter in.  Toads will appreciate larger flatter rocks to sit under but you can also purchase a toad house or pot for them to over winter in. 

Hibernation

Common toads hibernate from October to March under deep leaf litter, logs, timber piles, or in burrows and drainpipes.  Occasionally they can be found in mud at the bottom of a pond but they usually only go to water at breeding times.

Interesting facts

There is no truth in the old wives tale that you can get warts from handling toads, although you should always wash your hands after holding them to wash off the toxins in the toads’ skin.

As well as having an unpleasant taste, common toads also adopt a defence posture when threatened that makes them appear much larger than usual and so deters predators. They do this by stretching out their legs, inflating their lungs with air, and leaning their heads downwards.