History and origin
The Common toad was first described by Linnaeus in 1758, the scientific name of this species is Bufo bufo. Bufo from Latin meaning toad.
Characteristics
This species is characterised by their extremely warty skin. But mostly by their commonness, they can be found as close as in your street.
Description =Size=
- Eggs: The eggs are about 2 mm in diameter, they are laid in a cord that is up to 5 m long and is about 8 to 10 mm thick.
- Tadpoles: The tadpoles measure 3 to 5 mm long when they hatch, growing up to 40 mm long.
- Juveniles: The juveniles measure 7 to 12 mm long at least when they exit the water.
- Adults: Adults of the bufo sub-species: Males up to 90 mm long, Females up to 110 mm long. Adults of the spinosus sub-species: Males up to 100 mm long, Females up to 150 mm long.
=Morphology=
- Eggs: The eggs are laid in long cordons. There are up to 7000 eggs per cordon and they are arranged in rows of four.
- Tadpoles: Short tail not coming onto the back. Eyes are very close to one another. Their tail tip is very rounded.
- Adults: A large, bulky toad, heavily built, very warty skin and very large paratoid glands. They have average hind feet webbing, no dorsolateral folds and no vocal sac. They have horizontal pupils.
=Patterns & colours=
- Eggs: They are black embryos incased inside a transparent cordon.
- Tadpole: They are black, with small brownish freckles. Their tail is lighter in colour.
- Adult: There may be a series of lighter or darker patches situated around the top of the flanks. The coloration is variable from specimen to specimen, some being very dark (dark brown) with light blotches along the top of the flanks. Uniform brown, light brown specimens with many small darker blotches along the back. Sometimes reddish, even yellowish. Their eyes are usually reddish. Their belly is whitish or creamy with small, darker dots or small blotches.
Geographical range They are found throughout all of Europe except: most of Norway, northern Sweden and Finland, absent in some parts of Spain and form many major Mediterranean islands (Balearics, Corsica, Sardinia, Crete, Cyprus). Also absent from Ireland and N. Ireland.
Subspecies - bufo - Found in generally northern Europe. - gredosicola - Found in a small area in central Spain (Sierra de Gredos).
- spinosus - Found generally in southern Europe and around the Mediterranean coast.
Sexual differences
Males are smaller and less robust. Males have dark nuptial pads on their first 3 fingers. Males have longer hind legs.
Seasonal variations
Males nuptial pads are visible during the breeding season.
Diet
They feed on insects, flies, ants, grasshoppers. Tadpoles eat vegetation, a large proportion of ants, pollen...
Defensive habits
They puff themselves up and lower their head. This makes themselves look larger then they really are. They secrete a liquid from their skin and paratoid glands which contains venomous content. If picked up they will excrete urine. Wounded tadpoles release a substance into the water which alarms the other tadpoles and allows them to escape to safety.
Reproduction
The breeding season can last up to 1 to 2 months (starts as early as February) and sometimes occurs in autumn, the female only breeds every other year. Reproduction sites are usually large permanent areas of water usually rich in fish such areas are lakes, ponds, rivers... Once the two sexes meet the male doesn't take long before mounting the female. But if the females reach the water without a male then they will become impatient and sing a love song to complain and attract a male. Males outnumber females and combat for females is common. Sometimes 4 or 5 males can latch onto the same poor female in a bid to win her. Some males wait patiently at the bottom of the water whilst the more aggressive impatient ones try to steal a female from a mating male. When time has come to lay the eggs the male will caress the females flanks helping her to lay, once the cord of eggs has started to emerge from the female, the male will take it and pull it to the nearest plant and then the female can lay and pull out the eggs alone whilst the males fertilize them, they stay together for a few hours before the male finally disappears.
Sexual maturity, life span
The average life span for Bufo bufo is about 12 years for males and 9 yeas for females, they reach their sexual maturity in their third year for males and in their fourth year for females.
Habits
When juveniles emerge from the water, they are very numerous and they wait in the gaps between stones or in vegetation for cooler temperatures or rain to move further away from the water. Adults are predominately only active at night except for the breeding season, although they can be seen at day time in rainy weather. The Common toad walks more then they hop. They are often found in a small creator like hole under stones or near flowers, this hole is dug by the toad, their back legs scrape the ground as the toad moves from back to front helping their legs, they sometimes also use their hands.
Habitat
They are very urbanised and found in every kind of climate zone and habitat. Common in forest habitat as well as in open areas, in towns, mountainous specimens may be found up to the tree limit. They hide by day under stones, in holes or cracks in walls. In the breeding season they can easily be found in large numbers at slow the rivers, deep ponds... Specimens are usually fidel to a reproduction site, meaning that if an area's population is eradicated then that population is therefore 'extinct' for some time.
Predators
They main predators are birds, the Viperine snake (Natrix maura), Grass snake (Natrix natrix), fly parasites are often a cause of death as the flies lay their eggs at the entry of the toads nose, when the larva hatch, they go into the nose and feed on mucus, but ends up eating everything. Tadpoles are often eaten by fish.
They are found throughout all of Europe except: most of Norway, northern Sweden and Finland, absent in some parts of Spain and form many major Mediterranean islands (Balearics, Corsica, Sardinia, Crete, Cyprus). Also absent from Ireland and N. Ireland. 
Common toad, Bufo bufo spinosus- © Daniel Phillips
