Foto: Łukasz Siudziński

European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina)

The dorsal coloration of the fire-bellied toad is inconspicuous, mostly gray-brown or olive. With warts on its back it resembles lumps of mud or a pickled cucumber. In these warts there is a poison, which is an unpleasant surprise for anyone who tries to eat the toad or catch it. A disturbed toad quickly rolls over on its back and freezes, presenting a bright abdomen with red spots. These colors are meant to discourage the predator and inform that the animal is poisonous. The European fire-bellied toad spends most of time in the water. Being a thermophilic amphibian it inhabits shallow water bodies in which water warms up quickly – it feels best at temperatures between 17 and 25°C. It eats basically all small animals that it can swallow. In spring it starts its mating season. The males lure females with a loud croaking, which can be heard from a distance of several kilometers. When making these sounds the toads inflate theirs whole body, which look like a floating balloon. As a valuable species, the fire-bellied toad was included in the Natura 2000 programme. It is now recommended to create new water bodies and putting under protection the places of the natural occurrence of the fire-bellied toad.