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Common toad; Sapo común
Bufo spinosus
43.4107, -7.158
Field Notes
Description:
Juvenile toad 2 cm long. There were many of them walking on the ground, apparently in opposite direction to the river nearby. It was a very wet day.
The common toad can reach about 15 cm in length. The head is broad with a wide mouth below the terminal snout which has two small nostrils. There are no teeth. The bulbous, protruding eyes have yellow or copper coloured irises and horizontal slit-shaped pupils. Just behind the eyes are two bulging regions, the paratoid glands, which are positioned obliquely. They contain a noxious substance, bufotoxin, which is used to deter potential predators. The head joins the body without a noticeable neck and there is no external vocal sac. The body is broad and squat and positioned close to the ground. The fore limbs are short with the toes of the fore feet turning inwards. The hind legs are short relative to other frogs' legs and the hind feet have long, unwebbed toes. There is no tail. The skin is dry and covered with small wart-like lumps. The colour is a fairly uniform shade of brown, olive-brown or greyish-brown, sometimes partly blotched or banded with a darker shade. The females are browner and the males greyer. The underside is a dirty white speckled with grey and black patches.
The common toad usually moves by walking rather slowly or in short shuffling jumps involving all four legs.
Habitat:
Eucalyptus and deciduous forest
Notes:
In the Basque Country, the witch's familiars were believed to be toads wearing elegant robes. These were herded by children who were being trained as witches. Between 1610 and 1612, the Spanish inquisitor Alonso de Salazar Frías investigated witchcraft in the region and searched the houses of suspected witches for dressed toads. He found none.
Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/160 sec.; f/6.3; ISO Speed Rating: 800. Exposure Bias: 0 EV. Focal Length: 300.0 mm.
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