Epidalea calamita (Laurenti, 1768)

The Natterjack Toad is smaller than the Common Toad (Bufo bufo) and has a yellow dorsal stripe running down the centre its back. It is also much rarer, with the main UK populations being on sand dunes on the Norfolk coast and on the Lancashire/Cumbria coast. It has disappeared from many former sites on dry inland heaths. The crucial habitat requirement for this noisy amphibian is the presence of shallow pools which warm quickly in the spring and are likely to be free of other amphibian larvae which predate the tadpoles. This endangered species is strictly protected under British and European law.

Text: Tony Leech