Foto: Mateusz Sowiński

Common toad (Bufo bufo)

The common toad lives in habitats in close proximity to humans. It is our ally in the battle against garden pests. Its prey include insects and their larvae, it also likes naked snails. As a typical terrestrial amphibian it goes into the water only during the breeding season. Over the day it usually stays in hiding, and sets out to feed at night. Thanks to the good orientation in space it always returns to its hiding place. It is big and lumbering, that is why it does not jump, but walks slowly. The top of its body is rugged, covered with numerous warts. On the back of the head venom glands are located. The grass snake is resistant to the venom and can swallow a whole frog. The common toad has developed a defense mechanism – it inflates the whole body so that the reptile is unable to swallow it and it has to spit it out. A dangerous parasite for the common toad is the fly Lucilia Bufonivora which lays its eggs in the nostrils or on the skin of the frog. Its larvae gradually eat up the body of the host, leading to its death. Common toads are also threatened when trying to reach their breeding sites – they die in thousands under the wheels of cars. It is good for them when we create green corridors that allow a safe journey of these amphibians and enable the contact between individuals of different populations.