European Green Toad
Bufo viridis
Distribution,
Climate & Habitat: western Asia and Mongolia, westwards to North
Africa, the Mediterranean countries, central and southern Europe, and Turkey.
Inhabits open areas such as fields and gardens, where it hides away by day under
stones or in underground burrows, to escape the attentions of predators and
remain moist and warm
Size: females
up to 9 centimetres; males around 6 centimetres
Diet: ground dwelling insects and other invertebrates such as slugs, spiders, woodlice and earthworms
Appearance:
the upperside is sandy brown to rufous, with leaf green blotches and spots;
the underside is uniformly pale. Some warts on the back and sides are reddish.
This species shows the most apparent features that separate toads from frogs
- toads have an oval gland behind the eye, called the parotid gland; toads have
warty (rather than smooth) skin; and toads hop (rather than walk or climb, as
the frogs do)
Habits: usually active at night, when its invertebrate prey is easier to find and catch. Like other toads, it prefers to sit and wait for prey to wander within striking range rather than to actively pursue its prey like the frogs. When the prey wanders into range, the toad flicks its tongue out to snatch up its prey. By day it hides away under stones or within underground burrows, to escape the attentions of predators and remain moist and warm. Like other toads, the European Green is able to withstand drier conditions than most frogs, and this species can be found in areas with dry soil, where its camoflage allows it to blend in perfectly
Fascinating Fact: when seized by a predator, the European Green (and other toads) will produce a whitish, paste-like substance from their parotid glands; this distasteful substance contains several toxic chemicals, among them bufotoxin, which force the predator to release the toad