The bufonidae family

Part two the natterjack toad.

The  name of the natterjack toad is probably derived from the anglo-saxon word naeddre, which meant a serpent or crawling creature. This is probably because toads crawl whereas frogs hop. The term jack probably refers to the toads small size. The natterjack is found only in sandy places like heaths, mainly in coastal dunes in East Anglia and north west England, I actually came across some around the prestatyn area of North Wales while i was on a family holiday. The natterjacks numbers are declining and are now protected by law. Natterjack toads dig burrows in soft sand, and often shelter there together. They emerge at night, to hunt for insects such as sand fleas. They burrow deep into the sand using their forelimbs during winter and then emerge during spring. They spawn in april, but you can hear the males calling in the edge of the shallows to attract the females from March onwards. The ponds they spawn in have to have alight slope to enable them to get in and out of the pond. You can also hear the males calling out at night, this can be heard up to half a mile away because of a single vocal sack that amplifies the sound.Just like the common toad, their spawn is laid in a long stringy line, up to two meters in length. Their spawn will be in and around water plants. Their spawn has a single line of black eggs unlike common toads who lay their spawn in a line of double black eggs. Most of the natterjacks toad tadpoles die because their nursery ponds dry up before they become toadlets. Although natterjack toads have poisonous skins, crows and gulls have learned to eat them without eating their skin. They may live up to ten years in the wild. A yellow line down the middle of its back distinguishes the natterjack toad from the common toad. It is also slightly smaller and has a shinier, smoother skin than the common toad. Adults vary in colour from olive-green to yellowish- green. Their head and body measure up to two and a half inches. When threatened the natterjack toad adopts a defensive posture. It does this by arching its back towards an attacker so that the poison- secreting glands on its back are uppermost. They spend a lot of their time in and amongst reeds on the edge of the ponds, the natterjacks reaches maturity when they are about five years old.