17.11.08 - 18:30 -
Toads are not to be played with. / SUR FILE PHOTO
At this time of year you may well see toads creeping out from under their hiding places. Toads are not very active and adventurous animals. They are quite happy to live under a stone or small rock, even under a doorstep can be their chosen habitat. The longest living toad was 36 years old and could have been older still if he hadn’t ventured out of his hiding place and was attacked by a raven.
Grass snakes are actually the main predators, which is quite astonishing when you realise that baby snakes are the toad’s favourite food. When attacked he will blow himself up into a ball and stiffens its legs. The result is the appearance of a huge balloon on stilts. Even the most courageous grass snake will run for cover. He is not a greedy hunter. The toad is happy to just sit there and wait for a prey, mainly flying insects to pass by and then catches it by snapping it with his coiled tongue.
The Midwife Toad is indigenous to Spain and differs greatly from other toads. He mates on land not in water and the male toad makes a dedicated parent, carrying the eggs between his legs till the tadpoles are ready. He can carry as many as one hundred and sixty eggs, often from three different females. Unfortunately for the toad watcher the Midwife Toad is difficult to find as he is only five centimetres long and very well camouflaged. It hides in soft sand or river banks and only forages at night. Hearing them is a different matter though as they are very vociferous.
Toads are not to be played with, certainly not by curious cats or dogs. Although not all toads are dangerous some of the species secrete a poison from their saliva or their skin.
Unfortunately Spain has a lot of poisonous toads and to distinguish between the species is very difficult. When your cat or dog has been playing with a toad and shows signs of distress than an immediate visit to the vet is called for. Don’t wait to see if anything happens. Better to be safe than sorry, for an attack by a venomous toad can be lethal.
