Written by Emma Byrne, Transforming Lives Trainee.
What is a midwife toad and how did it get its name?!
Midwife toads are native to Western Europe and arrived in Britain at the end of the nineteenth century. They are small and plump, about 5 cm (about half the length of the long edge of a credit card), with warty, mostly dull grey, but occasionally green or brown skin. The females sometimes have red spots on their flanks. They’re similar in appearance to common toads, except their snout is more pointed and the pupil of the eye has a vertical slit as opposed to the common toad’s horizontal split.
Midwife toads are nocturnal and have a very distinct call which sounds like a high-pitched beeping noise. This noise is very different from the croaking sounds produced by our native frogs and toads, and is exceptionally loud for a small toad, making it easy to track them down in the darkness.
So why the name midwife toad? This name stems from the toad’s breeding habits. The female expels a strand of eggs, which the male fertilizes externally. He then wraps them around his legs and carries the string of fertilised eggs on his back to protect them from predators in the water, hence the name “midwife”. The male will carry the eggs until they are ready to hatch, at which point they are deposited in shallow water.
So where can you find these delightful little toads? Midwife toads can be found throughout several different habitats from arable land, forests and wetlands. In the UK, they are mainly restricted to urban areas close to their initial release sites with populations across England and Wales including Bedfordshire, Yorkshire, Worksop and South Devon. That said, possible sightings have been made in other areas of the country, so ensure to listen out for that electronic beeping sound…there could be a midwife toad closer than you think!
To find out more about this species click here.
Remember to record your sightings of native and non-native amphibians and reptiles on our free Dragon Finder app.
