Common toad

About

The Common toad, or gray toad, is our largest toad. In Ukraine, it lives in areas with forest landscapes — in coniferous, deciduous, and mixed forests, at forest edges, in parks and gardens — and in the Carpathians, it rises to an altitude of 2000 m. Adult toads reach 15, occasionally up to 20 cm. The skin is grayish-brown, dry, and covered with bumps resembling warts, with bulging eyes featuring a copper or golden iris and a horizontal pupil.

During the day, the toad hides, while at dusk and at night, it comes out to hunt for insects, slugs, worms, and other invertebrates. It moves slowly, waddling or making short jumps. Young toadlets, unlike adults, can be active during the day.

In spring, as soon as the water warms up to 5–8 °C, toads migrate en masse to spawning waters — shallow ponds and backwaters with still or slow-moving water. Most return to the place where they hatched, thus using the same locations year after year. In the spawning grounds of Transcarpathia, researchers counted up to 70 toads per 100 m of shoreline. The spawning period is short, lasting 2–3 weeks: the female lays eggs in two long black slimy strings, with a clutch containing up to 7–9 thousand eggs. In the mountain streams of the Carpathians, tadpoles do not have enough time to transform into toadlets during the summer and winter in the water.

Males arrive at the water bodies first and stay there for a week or longer, while females leave the water almost immediately after laying eggs. The egg strings, measuring 3–4.5 m in length, are wrapped around the stems of plants in shallow water. In the Carpathian populations, there are more males than females — about 61%. Toads begin to reproduce in their third to fourth year of life. Their toxic skin secret protects them from most predators, although grass snakes seem to be insensitive to it.

During spring migrations, many toads die on the roads, so in the spring, it is advisable to drive slowly and carefully near water bodies in the evening. The Common toad is not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Where in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries

Ukraine · Romania · Slovakia · Poland · Czechia · Hungary · Austria

Mountain ranges

Gorgany, Krasna Polonyna, Pokuttia-Bukovina Carpathians, Almăj and Locva Mountains, Rivna Polonyna, High Tatras, Low Tatras, Bieszczady, Skole Beskids, Watershed Ridge

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Safety

The glands on the toad's skin, especially the large bumps behind the eyes, secrete a toxic substance that deters predators. It is only dangerous to humans if it gets into the eyes or mouth: if you handle a toad, do not touch your face and wash your hands. Do not let dogs catch toads.

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ