David Element
Wildlife
Photography and Digital Video Images
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Amphibians 5 - Common Toads
COMMON TOAD Bufo bufo (f)
COMMON TOAD Bufo bufo (f)
COMMON
TOAD Bufo bufo (f)
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Common Toads Bufo bufo are most likely to be
encountered during the breeding season in spring in the company when
post-hibernation adults will gather together and make their way in numbers -
and frequently already in amplexus - to favoured water-bodies so that they can
produce their strings (not masses – these are the product of Common
Frogs Rana temporaria) of gelatinous spawn. At this
time of the year there will inevitably be high mortality both due to predation
and particularly on the roads and they may be squashed as pairs with the
smaller males on top of the females! Toad-tunnels may reduce the impact but the
brutal reality is that amphibians produce many more offspring than could
possibly survive to reproductive age and they do so in the complete absence of
any sentimentality! If the fact that the adults simply need to replace
themselves in order to have bred successfully then this high-mortality makes
more biological sense but for lovers of amphibians this concept might be
difficult to swallow. Another peak in terrestrial activity occurs once the tiny
‘toadlets’ are old enough to leave these water-bodies in search of pastures
new. This is another extremely hazardous time as there is a great deal of
predation and there is another danger as many will sadly be inadvertently trampled
by our feet unless careful attention is paid to the placing of every foot-step.
It is therefore perhaps a good idea to avoid approaching the margins of ponds
if tiny toads and frogs are seen in the vicinity. The portraits above are of a
large adult female
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David’s films of British reptiles and amphibians may be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4AirIEc0Nodlcvlf7oYAJgJo8k7pHJ-A.
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