All About Common Toads- Common Toad Facts & Information

About Common Toad UK

The Common Toad is an widespread amphibian species that will often be found hiding away in damp log piles and deep leaf litter, crawling out of its hiding spaces in the evening to forage for food.

Most Common Toads you see will be a brown grey colour, there is some variation in this and some Toads are olive brown, dark brown and grey. A Toad's skin is dry and warty (this is one way to tell them apart from Common Frogs!) and these amphibians have copper coloured eyes with a 'slit' pupil.

Apart from in Spring when they crawl back to garden ponds to breed, adult Common Toads live on the land and you'll often find them hiding away in the dark and cool damp spots of your garden.

In more recent years, there has been a slight decline in Toad populations - this could be due to habitat loss and changes in farming practices. Under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) they are considered a biodiversity priority species. It is also protected against selling and trading under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Common Toad VS Common Frogs

The smooth and moist skin of a frog helps it breathe under water, Toads don't have these skin glands which is why they have warty skin that's dry. This is one of the main differences between these two (very similar) amphibians.

Common Toads tend to be a grey brown colour, where as Common Frogs come in a whole range of colours, including yellow, green and brown, and frogs have a distinctive brown patch behind their eyes (give them a cape and they'll be the next Superman!)

If you spot what you think might be a Common Toad, watch the way that it gets around. Toads crawl around but Common Frogs move in spring leaps.

How Big is a Common Toad

Unlike a lot of other species of animals, female Toads tend to be larger that male Toads.

Adult males can grow to be about 8 cm in length, where as females grow to be about 13 cm in length. This is believed to be because females hold the eggs, and the bigger the body, the more eggs she can hold and produce.

Common Toad Lifespan

On average, in the UK, the Common Toad that lives in our gardens will live to around 10 years, but they have been known to live longer, and in captivity, it is thought they can live much longer - with some having survived fifty years.

Common Toad Life Cycle

Typically, the life cycle of a toad happens in seven stages.

Toad Spawn

Toad spawn refers to the eggs laid by female toads in deeper ponds. These eggs are usually laid in long strings that can contain thousands of individual eggs. They are typically laid in shallow water, often in ponds or slow-moving streams, to protect them from predators.

Toad Tadpoles

After the eggs hatch, they release tadpoles. Tadpoles are aquatic larvae that resemble small fish. They have gills for breathing underwater and feed on algae, detritus, and other organic matter in the water. Common Toad tadpoles are poisonous to fish, whereas common frog tadpoles are not - this gives then a great chance of surviving in fish ponds.

Metamorphosis

As the tadpoles grow, they undergo a process called metamorphosis, during which they gradually develop into juvenile toads. This process involves the growth of limbs, the absorption of the tail, and the development of lungs for breathing air instead of gills.

Toadlet

Once metamorphosis is complete, the juvenile toads, known as toadlets, leave the water and venture onto land. At this stage, they are still quite small and vulnerable to predation, so they often remain close to the water's edge and in areas with plenty of cover.

Adult Toad

As the toadlets grow, they mature into adult toads. Adult toads are fully terrestrial and spend most of their time on land, although they may return to water to breed. They have adapted to a wide range of habitats, including forests, grasslands, and gardens, and are primarily nocturnal, feeding on insects and other small invertebrates.

Common Toad Habitat

Across Europe, Common Toads are the fourth most common amphibian and in the UK, i'm sure we're all used to seeing them hiding in the damp areas of our garden.

The nocturnal animals spend most of their life on land - and they head to garden and farm ponds and still bodies of water when the breeding season arrives - but where do they live the rest of the year?

In the wild, Common Toads love to inhabit mixed forests, especially in wet and damp environments. The piles of leaves and many log piles for them to hide under creates the perfect environment for these amphibians.

Common Toads will also live in gardens, a nature reserve, parks as long as the conditions are right and there are places for them to hide out for the day, emerging in the evenings to forage for dinner.

What Does the Common Toad Eat?

In the dark of night, Common Toads will come out of their damp hiding space and go on the hunt for their food. Most commonly, Toads will eat invertebrates, including spiders, ant, aphids and slugs; sometimes larger Toads will even eat small slow worms, grass snakes and harvest mice.

Common Toad Breeding

Famous for migrating en masse, come the Spring Common Toad's follow migration paths back to their ancestral breeding ponds - for breeding, Toads prefer deeper water bodies. This migration can be difficult for Common Toads as modern infrastructure, such as roads, block migration paths and quite a few unlucky Toads don't make it to the pond. There are some groups known as 'toad patrols' that will head out on nights suitable for migration to try and help these little amphibians have a safe journey.

Once Toads safely arrive at the pond they choose to breed in, the male Toad will put out a mating call to attract females. Once mated, the female releases long strings of eggs in the shallow part of the water around aquatic plants. In a few weeks, these eggs will turn into tadpoles, and eventually, these tadpoles emerge as Toads to live their lives on the land.

The Benefit of Toads in Our Garden

In our gardens, Toads are the perfect 'gardening partner' for anyone who loves to keep their garden looking pristine, and the best part is, they don't require too much from you to attract them!

A garden Toads diet consists of all the pests that you try to get rid of year round as they eat your lovely flowers and plants - slugs, insects and snails are all prime suspects and these are also the main part of a Toads diet. By allowing these amphibians in your garden, you have given yourself a free and natural pesticide.

Toad Predators

In their natural environment, Common Toads remain vulnerable to a number of species. One significant predator are snakes. Certain species such as water snakes are known to often prey on these animals.

Larger bird species and birds of prey, if given the opportunity, will also prey on Toads. Especially when Toads are in a vulnerable position.

In aquatic habitats, fish such as large mouth bass and northern pike may consume toad tadpoles and even adult toads if they venture into the water.

Some invertebrates, such as large spiders and centipedes, may prey on smaller toads or their eggs.

Five Facts about Common Toads

1. The Common Toad (Bufo bufo) is widespread across the UK and is often encountered in gardens, parks, and woodland areas. It's known for its distinctive warty appearance and tends to have a preference for moist habitats.

2. In early spring, adult Common Toads embark on mass migrations from their winter hibernation sites to breeding ponds or lakes. These migrations often involve large numbers of toads crossing roads, sometimes leading to conservation efforts like "toad patrols" where volunteers help them safely cross.

3. Common Toads can live for a surprisingly long time. In the wild, they may live up to 10-12 years, and in captivity, they've been known to live even longer.

4. The Latin name for the common toad, Bufo bufo, is sometimes humorously interpreted as an onomatopoeic representation of the sound a toad makes when it croaks. However, it actually comes from the Latin word "bufo," meaning toad.

5. After breeding, common toads lay long strings of eggs in shallow water. These eggs hatch into tadpoles, which eventually undergo metamorphosis into tiny toadlets. Toadlets are miniature versions of adult toads and are incredibly cute to observe as they explore their surroundings.