Common Toad

One of only 7 amphibian species native to the UK, the common toad (Bufo bufo) is widespread but undergoing severe declines. Their distribution spans the entirety of mainland Britain and some islands, but they are not present in Ireland. Unlike frogs, common toads don't live in exclusively wet habitat, and can be found in woodland, gardens, hedgerows and tussocky grassland. They create shallow burrows they return to for the day after foraging in darkness. Their diet is varied and can comprise of insect larvae, worms, slugs and sometimes even small grass snakes, slow worms and harvest mice. From November to February common toads hibernate either in log piles, leaf litter or their burrows.


Common toads have copper-coloured eyes and warty skin which can vary in
colour from dark brown to grey, olive green, or sandy coloured. 

Though they don't always live near water year-round, toads do need to return to a water body to breed. Each year common toads migrate back to their spawning grounds to breed. Males tend to wait for the females at the water source or attempt to find them on the way. When a male finds a female he clasps her with his forelimbs in amplexus and fertilizes her eggs. On average, each female produces around 1500 eggs, though it can be as many as 5000. Toadspawn can be distinguished from frogspawn as it is produced in long, three-stranded strings, whereas frogspawn occurs in clumps. Tadpoles hatch from the eggs after around 10 days, and undergo metamorphosis over a period of 2-3 months. In the tadpole stage Bufo bufo eat algae and aquatic plant matter. Common toads generally live for around 4 years. 

This mass migration behaviour is linked to the rapid decline of this species. The migration route is the same each year, and often involves crossing roads, leading to many toads being killed by cars. An estimated 20 tonnes of toads are killed on Britain's roads each year. Locations where over 1000 toads cross are designated 'toad crossings' and may be monitored by toad patrol volunteers as part of Froglife's project 'Toads on Roads'. These volunteers erect signs warning people of the toad crossings in hopes they'll slow down and avoid crushing the toads, as well as actively helping toads cross. 

The effect of roadkill on top of other pressures has led to the population of common toads in Britain declining by approximately 70% in the last 30 years. Toads prefer deeper water sources to lay their eggs in, an environment which is becoming increasingly scarce, especially in southern England. Common toads are also affected by pollution and climate change. In order to prevent the loss of this species, conservation of habitats and combatting roadkill is essential. Common toads are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and are priority species under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. 


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