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What our animals are doing this month

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Written by Eve Goddard, Transforming Lives Trainee.

Spring is the time when amphibians will be emerging from their overwintering sites to make their way to ponds ready for breeding season. Typically, they will head out at night, providing protection from some predators, favouring damp conditions suitable for their skin.

Our three native newt species, great crested, smooth and palmate will travel up to 500m to a suitable breeding pond. The males undergo physiological changes, for example; palmate newts will develop a filament on the end of the tail, and the smooth and great crested newt’s crests will grow in readiness for their aquatic display dance!

© Dave Kilby

Once mating has taken place, the females will be very busy, laying up to 300 individual eggs in vegetation in the pond, gently folding leaves around their precious eggs for protection. 

Newts may well have been beaten to the pond by the common frog, who can sometimes emerge far earlier – sometimes spawn will be seen from as early as January!

The common toad, adopting a more leisurely pace will tend to breed in late spring, heading back to the pond they were spawned from. They will travel up to an enormous 5km! Common toad’s spawn is laid in ‘strings’ of dual rows of eggs which will be wrapped around vegetation. The common frog’s spawn is laid in clumps or ‘rafts’ making it easy to distinguish the two.

With all this activity, Spring is a great time to head out on nature walks and see what you can discover in your local blue and green spaces. 

Don’t forget to record any sightings on our free Dragon Finder App!

What our animals are doing this month

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Written by Charles Bonnett, Transforming Lives Trainee

It’s February and we’re settling into the New Year. For our animals, February can represent a period of transition, as the first signs of spring start to stir them from their dormancy.

For some amphibians, February marks the beginning of their habitual migration to their breeding ponds. Male common frogs typically arrive first, ready to attract females. In warmer, southernly regions of the country, mating may have already occurred by late February and frogspawn may be present. Likewise, during warm, wet evenings, common toads will begin their migration to their ancestral breeding ponds; these epic journeys can sometimes span kilometres. Some of our three native newt species, smooth, palmate, and great crested newts, will similarly begin to rouse from their dormancy, though will likely remain more inconspicuous than their frog and toad counterparts. 

In comparison to amphibians, our reptiles are more temperature-sensitive, and so will mostly maintain their dormant state throughout the cold February days in order conserve their energy. Though, this does not mean that reptiles will be completely inactive during this period; a warm spell may stir adders and common lizards from their inactivity, after which they may be seen basking on south-facing slopes to regulate their body temperature in preparation for spring.

Generally, there is a degree of variation in when a member of a species may exit brumation, in part influenced by regional variation in weather, where earlier activity may be observed in more southerly regions. A further notable impact on this transition is our ever-changing climate. Our winters are becoming milder and less predictable, leading to our amphibians and reptiles exiting their dormant state prematurely. This early emergence can be dangerous, as it can leave the animals exposed to unpredictable weather, such as cold snaps. Likewise, it can cause the expenditure of energy during colder periods which may be difficult to recoup as sources of food will be rarer.

Overall, then, February can be a transitionary period from dormancy to activity for our amphibians and reptiles, and will likely continue to be with greater frequency due to our changing climate.

Remember to report any sightings of our species (including eggs and young) on our free Dragon Finder app.

Natterjack Toads (Epidalea calamita)

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Written by Eve Goddard, Transforming Lives Trainee. 

Natterjack toads are the lesser known of the two native UK toad species.

Smaller than the common toad, natterjacks are up to 7cm in length and have shorter legs, which they use to run in short bursts. Unlike the common toad’s bronze iris, natterjacks’ are bright green. Their most distinguishing feature is the yellowy stripe which runs down the centre of their back.

Their common name is said to come from their distinguished rasping call which can be heard up to two km away. Males take advantage of this in spring, the louder their call, the more chance they have of attracting females.

You can hear their call by clicking this link (© Slitere National Park)

 

Habitats

Natterjacks live in saltmarsh, heathland and coastal areas. They use warm freshwater ponds for breeding. One example being ponds that form in sand dunes. Their spawn is laid in singular rows, unlike the common toad’s double rows. In preferable conditions their spawn can mature very quickly – in as little as six weeks, which creates an evolutionary advantage for avoiding  predators, and leaving a pond that may be both porous due the sandy substrate and/or seasonal.

For hibernation in the winter, their shorter strong limbs come into play. They dig burrows in sand or light sandy soils. Natterjacks will also use the same technique in the summer to protect themselves from particularly hot weather.

 

 

Conservation

As one of the UK’s rarest amphibians, natterjack toads are a protected species by law, it is an offence to kill, injure, capture or disturb them; damage or destroy their habitat; or possess them or sell or trade them in any way. This also applies to larval stages and eggs.

Although their populations are few and far between, owing largely to habitat loss, there are some simple steps we can all take to protecting their habitats. When visiting saltmarsh, heathland or coastal areas taking litter home with you, keeping to designated footpaths, and keeping dogs on leads and out of ponds all helps.

Remember, if you spot a natterjack toad or any of our reptiles or amphibians – the Dragonfinder App will allow you record your findings and help us in our conservation efforts.

The midwife toad

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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.

Reference: Stidston, R. (2012) Midwife toadlet. Available at: https://www.uksafari.com/midwifetoads.htm

What our animals are doing this month

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Written by Paul Arestides, Transforming Lives Trainee

Natterjack Toad

Image credit: Matt Wilson

The natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) is very rare and smaller in size compared to our common toad. They are more olive green in colour, with a very distinguishing yellow stripe running along their backs. These toads are mainly nocturnal, so are best seen in the evenings as the sun is setting. It is also a pioneer species, meaning it is one of the first to set up a home in newly formed habitats like young sand dunes. They bury themselves in the warm, loose sand around pools during the day.

 

Did you know?

The natterjack toad is also known as the ‘running toad’ because they tend to run rather than walk or hop.

Their average lifespan is 10-15 years

Their length can be up to 8cm

 

Ecology

In springtime you’ll see gathering males in full chorus singing together attempting to attract a female. These calls can be heard up to a mile away! The spawning season is between April and June. Males find a mate and spawn in warm shallow ponds, pools or puddles in dune slacks and sandy heaths. Females lay thousands of eggs in single rows (unlike our common toad that lay them in double rows) along two spawn strings. It only takes six to eight weeks for the spawn to develop in to toadlets with the yellow dorsal stripe clearly visible.

Females lay thousands of eggs in single rows. Image Credit: Matt Wilson

Mainly found in coastal sites across the northwest of England and the Solway Firth in Scotland, they cling on in just a few other places in the sand dunes of East Anglia and heathlands of Surrey and Hampshire.

At this time of year, adults and metamorphosed toadlets spend time building up plenty their reserves in preparation for the winter months ahead. Through winter they will take shelter burying themselves in the mud or sand, under logs and rocks.

Threatened by habitat loss, the natterjack toad has declined massively over the last few decades. As a result of this, it is strictly protected by British and European law which makes it an offence to kill, injure, capture or disturb them; damage or destroy their habitat; or possess them or sell or trade them in any way. This also applies to larval stages and eggs.

Image Credit: Tracy Farrer

 

Remember, if you spot a natterjack toad or any other amphibians and reptiles (including young and eggs), log your sighting on our free Dragon Finder app. 

Preparing for Spring

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Written by Ellia Cobb, Transforming Lives Trainee. 

It’s almost springtime again! Reptiles and amphibians will be getting ready to come out of their brumation and begin their breeding season, so what can you do to help them? If you have a wildlife pond at home it is important to finish up any pond maintenance you might want to do before the weather starts to warm up. Disturbing breeding and egg-laying amphibians can be very harmful, so ensuring good pond maintenance is essential.

Preparing your wildlife pond for spring is a simple task as they don’t require much work. Cutting back reed and grass from the pond if it is too overgrown to allow more sunlight in can hugely benefit the pond, but remember to leave enough for the breeding amphibians! Another thing you can do is remove leaf litter and sediment build up from the pond to prevent a decrease in the water quality, but this should be done before spring. Anything that is removed should be left by the pond for a few days just in case any wildlife remains inside of it, this gives them time to make their way back to the water (please see our Just Add Water guide for further tips). 

Newts need vegetation to lay their eggs and toads and frogs need a safe place to lay their spawn away from predators.

The changing weather can be quite confusing for amphibians so it isn’t uncommon for them to start breeding earlier than expected, so don’t be alarmed if you spot any spawn or eggs quite early on. You do not need to move or disturb them. Newts need vegetation to lay their eggs and toads and frogs need a safe place to lay their spawn away from predators, so providing native pond plants and safe places for them to hide before spring starts is the best idea.

As for reptiles bramble, compost heaps, log piles, gorse and wooded areas are all places they may choose to breed in. This means that any garden maintenance shouldn’t be done during this time to prevent disturbance and endangerment.

You can find further information on how to make your gardens more wildlife friendly in our Idea Zone. 

 

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