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Meet one of the most peculiar amphibians in our local wildlife, a natural-born survivor that prefers to scurry nimbly rather than jump.
Every spring, when the first rains arrive, something magical happens in the ponds of Castilla-La Mancha, just as in other regions of Spain: the natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) wakes up and heads en masse toward the water. This amphibian is much more special than it appears at first glance.
A different kind of toad
It doesn't hop: it runs. Hence its name. With short, agile steps, it moves quickly across rocky ground, stubble fields, and dry scrubland. Its warty brown or greenish skin, its characteristic dorsal stripe and its eyes make it unmistakable. Its long, parallel parotoid glands secrete bitter substances that protect it from predators.
The night of the chorus
With the arrival of warmth and rain, the males congregate near temporary ponds, irrigation reservoirs, or simply large puddles, forming vibrant nocturnal choruses with their characteristic metallic song "trrr-trrr-trrr", audible from hundreds of meters away. The females arrive, mate in amplexus (Rana-Sutra: Amplexus in the world of anurans | Environmental Ideas ) and deposit striking gelatinous, tangled strings with thousands of black eggs lined up, as if someone had embroidered the bottom of the water. In just 4-10 days, tiny, voracious larvae hatch, which will complete their metamorphosis in about a couple of months.
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A species that needs relatively clean water
Although adapted to arid conditions, the natterjack toad cannot reproduce without ponds. The loss of water bodies and wetlands due to agricultural intensification, the use of phytosanitary products, the channeling of streams, and roadkill are its main current threats. Its presence in a pond is one of the indicators of good environmental quality.
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These images capture a unique moment in this species' life cycle. If you have ponds on your property or plot, don't get rid of them! They could be home to an entire population.
Sources:
https://www.villena.es/politicasanimalistas/fauna/sapo-corredor/
https://www.asturnatura.com/especie/epidalea-calamita
https://www.vertebradosibericos.org/anfibios/reproduccion/epicalre.html
https://monteriza.aranzadi.eus/wp-content/uploads/anfibios/055.epidalea-calamita.pdf
https://www.vertebradosibericos.org/anfibios/epical.html
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