T. marginata
         T. hermanni
         L. trilineata
         B. bufo

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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of Horton, Pelion, taken from the dirt road that connects Horton with Metohi, a small village higher up.

Loading image. Please wait Common Toad (Bufo bufo) :: 2005/04/28 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 1/10 Common Toad (Bufo bufo) :: 2005/04/28 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 1/10 Common Toad (Bufo bufo) :: 2005/04/28 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 2/10 Common Toad (Bufo bufo) :: 2005/04/28 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 3/10 Common Toad (Bufo bufo) :: 2005/04/28 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 4/10 Common Toad (Bufo bufo) :: 2005/04/28 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 5/10 Common Toad (Bufo bufo) :: 2005/04/28 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 6/10 Common Toad (Bufo bufo) :: 2005/04/28 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 7/10 Common Toad (Bufo bufo) :: 2005/04/28 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 8/10 Common Toad (Bufo bufo) :: 2005/04/28 :: Horton :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 9/10 Common Toad (Bufo bufo), Sketch :: May 2001 :: © A.Papadopoulos Image 10/10

Common Toad

Bufo bufo

Bufo bufo is a large, bulky toad, with a stout, warty body, long hind legs and a noticeable neck.  Parotoids behind the eyes are prominent, reaching a length of some 9 – 11cm (3 1/2 - 4 1/3 in), whilst  tympanic membranes are not visible. Pupil of the eye is horizontal. Dorsal skin usually features rounded tubercles, sometimes with a sharp top. Dorsal surface is white-grayish, gray, brown or olive-brown, with more or less developed darker spots. These spots are sometimes absent, sometimes fused into irregular longitudinal bands. Background coloration changes during the breeding season, becoming uniform. Belly is light-gray or yellowish-gray with dark spots. Skin has poisonous glands.

Common Toads can be found in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from sea level to the  subalpine zone. However, they are mainly associated with the forest zone, where they prefer conifer forests with marshes. They can be found in groves, bushlands, parks, meadows, fields, glades, gardens, vineyards, etc., generally in fairly wet sites with dense vegetation. Large open areas are usually avoided. Toads are, essentially, land frogs. To compensate for the lack of water, they retain body liquids by secreting a mucous coating through the skin, which slows down evaporation.

Like most other toads, Bufo bufo is active mainly in twilight and has very sharp hearing. It forages exclusively on land, mainly on crawling invertebrates. As in other species of toads, consumption of ants is very typical. It needs water only during the reproductive season, as it lays its eggs in stagnant or slowly flowing water.

Common Toads adopt an interesting defence posture when threatened that makes them appear much larger than usual and so deters predators. They do this by stretching out their legs, inflating their lungs with air, and leaning their heads downwards. They also secrete a poisonous fluid from the skin and parotoid glands. If touched or picked up, they tend to urinate. Injured tadpoles release a substance into the water, which warns other tadpoles and drives them to seek refuge in a safer spot.

The toads hibernate singly or in groups from September - beginning of November to March - June, depending on the altitude and latitude. Hibernation occurs on land and occasionally in streams and springs. Usually, the hibernation is finished in April - May. Reproduction occurs from March - June (usually late April to May, but in some cases, it may start as early as February).

 Amplexus is  pectoral. A few males often clasp one female, and in many instances several males try to clasp the same female, and large "balls" consisting of numerous toads may be observed. The smallest males are forced out by larger individuals. Therefore, assortative (by body size) mating takes place. Only male Common Toads croak, which can be a useful way of distinguishing males and females, for males will "squeak" if picked up. Larger males have deeper croaks then smaller individuals. This difference in pitch enables toads to assess their chances of success before a fight and so avoid battles that they are likely to lose. The male "release" call (when another male has mistaken it for a female) is the most often heard call, which is a rough, high-pitched "qwark, qwark, qwark". The mating call is rarely heard.

Eggs are laid in long strings, each consisting of up to 7,000 eggs, neatly positioned in rows of four. Embryonic and larval development takes usually 1.5-2.5 months. The Common Toad passes the first stages of its life as a tadpole, just like all other frog species. The young tadpoles abandon the water by the end of June, frequently in large masses, and adopt the nocturnal life of adults within a week or so. They reach sexual maturity in 3 to 5 years.

The Common Toad is very widespread in the Pelion region and Greece, in general.

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Fact Sheet

Food
Mainly invertebrates, including ants.

Active
From April till November. On occasion, may be seen as early as February.

Habitat
Groves, bushlands, parks, meadows, fields, glades, gardens, vineyards, etc. They generally prefer fairly wet sites, with dense vegetation

Distribution
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, FYROM, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom.


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Taxonomy


Superkingdom: Eukaryota; Kingdom: Metazoa; Phylum: Chordata; Subphylum: Craniata; Superclass: Gnathostomata; Class: Amphibia; Superorder: Batrachia; Order: Anura; Suborder: Neobatrachia; Superfamily: Hyloidea; Family: Bufonidae; Genus: Bufo; Species: bufo.

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References

The above information has been obtained from the following sources (Greek titles have been anglicized for convenience):

• ARNOLD, E.N., BURTON, J.A. and OVENDEN, D.W. 1992. A Field Guide to the Reptiles & Amphibians of Britain and Europe. Collins, London.
• KLIRONOMOU, Z., Editor, UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS and GOULANDRIS MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, 1996. Mammals and Reptiles of Greece. Eleftheros Typos, Athens.
• STERRY, P., 2000. Collins Complete Mediterranean Wildlife Photoguide. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd., London.
• HELIOPOULOU - GEORGOUDAKI, J., ROUVALI, A., KARADIMA, C., THEODOROPOULOS, C., LANGADINOU, M., 2007. Actions for the Information and Sensitization of Special Population Groups on the Sustainable Management of the Environment and Natural Resources. University of Patras, Department of Biology, Pollution, Environmental Management and Ecotoxology Unit, INTERREG IIIA Community Initiative Programme for Greece – Italy 2000-2006.
• AmphibiaWeb
• BBC Science and Nature

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