Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
castoff suit into its mouth, and finally swallows the whole affair! The entire procedure takes only about
five minutes, and the toad then goes blithely on its way.
Our common toad is notably uncritical about terrestrial habitat, which may be one reason for its evol-
utionary success. Fields, all sorts of forests, moist areas, gardens, yards, and almost anything else are
suitable for the toad, as long as it's not excessively hot and dry, with no shade or moist dirt in which to
shelter.
Toads are equally unfussy eaters. A wide variety of insects, slugs, earthworms, and assorted other
small creepy-crawlies appeal to their catholic tastes and are snapped up with gusto, to the great benefit
of many plants— including those in our gardens. Like frogs, toads have the unique feature of a long,
sticky tongue attached in the front of the mouth, rather than at the rear. This marvelous adaptation en-
ables the toad to flick its tongue forward with lightning rapidity to snare its unwary prey and just as
quickly flip it back into the wide, gaping mouth.
Although predators wreak the greatest havoc on toads while they're either tadpoles or very tiny toad-
lets first emerging onto land, adult toads aren't immune, but the toxins produced by the glands on a
toad's skin repel many predators, especially those that have had previous experience with toads. Do-
mestic dogs and house cats, for instance, are known to learn that toads are distasteful. No doubt many
wild predators are equally deterred by the toad's defenses, although raccoons and skunks evidently are
predators of toads. Snakes are probably the toad's most serious predators, however. Many species of
snakes seem to be unaffected by the toad's toxins, and some snakes feed very heavily on toads.
Toads also have a rather peculiar reaction to danger. When startled or frightened, they may release
a quantity of liquid that is generally thought to be urine, but in fact is water stored away by the toad
against a time when drought might threaten it. How successful this technique is in repelling predators
is questionable. I well recall that, when I was a small boy, my play-mates and I used to call toads that
reacted in this fashion “pee toads” and giggled a little self-consciously about it, as small children are
wont to do about such things.
Like other amphibians, toads are cold-blooded, so with the onset of cold weather they begin to look
for a place to hibernate. Suitable locations include burrows in soft soil or the soft, loose litter of the
forest floor. In places such as this, toads can become dormant for the winter, secure from bitter weather
and the attacks of predators.
Toads become sexually mature when they're three years old. When they emerge from their winter's
sleep during their third spring, that deep, ancient instinct to mate and perpetuate the species finally as-
serts itself. Then the breeding grounds issue their mysterious, irresistible siren call, and the toads tem-
porarily forsake their terrestrial habitat to wend their way in slow toad fashion back to the most ancient
habitat of all—water. There they will continue the unending cycle that has repeated itself for countless
millions of years.
Despite their newfound favor in some circles, toads have generally been regarded, at best, as rather
plebeian creatures—useful, perhaps, but without the slightest hint of glamour or excitement. How iron-
