Frogs, toads & spawn
- Help Animals UK Guest Blogger
- Apr 1
- 7 min read
Help Animals UK Guest Blog by ARC-Trust
There are two native frog species and two native toad species in the UK as well as several non-native species.
And don't forget to REPORT YOUR SIGHTINGS!
Common frog
Rana temporaria
Where to find them
Possibly our most recognisable amphibian, the common frog is distributed throughout Britain and Ireland, and can be found in almost any habitat where suitable breeding ponds are nearby.
Garden ponds are extremely important for common frogs and many populations in suburban areas depend on them.
Common frogs have smooth moist skin. Frogs are often found close to fresh water in habitats that remain damp throughout the summer. Outside of the breeding season they can roam up to 500 metres from a breeding pond.
Identification
Adults can grow to 9cm (nose to tail). They are generally a shade of olive-green or brown, with a dark patch (or 'mask') behind the eyes. Frogs often have bands of darker striping on the back legs. Many individuals have irregular dark markings on the back. Colouration is extremely variable: yellow, pink, red, orange and black individuals are often reported to our Wildlife Information Service.
Lifecycle
Spawning takes place during early spring, starting in the south of Britain as early as January. Tadpoles generally take up to sixteen weeks to grow back legs, then front legs before they metamorphose into tiny froglets, ready to leave the water in early summer (often June, but in some ponds this may be as late as September).
'Mature' tadpoles are faintly speckled with a gold/brown colouration which distinguishes them from the black tadpoles of the common toad. Common frogs feed on a variety of invertebrate prey, slugs and snails particularly. This makes them very beneficial to gardeners.
Protection
In Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the common frog (and its spawn) is protected by law from trade and sale.
Common toad
Bufo bufo
Where to find them
The common toad is a widespread amphibian found throughout mainland Britain and on many islands, such as the Isle of Wight. In Jersey (Channel Islands), the similar-looking Jersey toad (Bufo spinosus) is found. Common toads are absent from Ireland.
Common toads prefer deeper water bodies in which to breed. These may include farm ponds, reservoirs, fish ponds or village duck ponds. Sadly these types of freshwater body are threatened in many parts of the UK and toads have been declining, especially in the southern half of Britain.
Identification
Males can grow up to 8cm and females up to about 10cm. Common toads are generally brown or olive-brown in colour, but are very variable; females are often reddish or have reddish warts. The skin is ‘warty’ and often appears dry. Glands in the skin contain powerful toxins and many would-be predators learn to avoid eating toads. Toxins are also present in the skin of the tadpoles.
Lifecycle
Common toads have a strong migratory instinct and will follow the same route back to ancestral breeding ponds each spring. They congregate at these ponds in spring, often a couple of weeks after common frogs breed. After a relatively short breeding period (often not more than a week) adult toads migrate away from ponds, being far more tolerant of dry conditions than the common frog.
Common toads are most active at night when they hunt invertebrates including ants, beetles, snails, slugs and spiders. If they find a good source of food they can become sedentary. Indeed they may often remain in gardens for long periods in the summer months. Unlike the common frog, toad spawn is laid in strings (not clumps) and toad tadpoles are black and form shoals. Toadlets can emerge from ponds in huge numbers during early summer, usually after rain.
Protection
In Britain, the common toad is protected by law only from sale and trade, but is a biodiversity priority species under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act (2006) because of recent declines. This means that the species should be considered during planning and development.
Northern pool frog
Pelophylax lessonae - formerly Rana lessonae
Where to find them
Native pool frogs were presumed extinct in the wild in 1995, but have since been reintroduced at two sites in Norfolk. Northern clade pool frogs are found only in very restricted areas of Scandinavia, Estonia and England. The first reintroduction of pool frogs to England was established using northern clade pool frogs collected in Sweden under special permissions between 2005 to 2008. The second and most recent reintroduction was carried out using stock from the first successfully established population. For more information on the second reintroduction please see: "Re-introducing the northern pool frog to NWT Thompson Common Norfolk”
Identification
Pool frogs are extremely variable in colour, although the type reintroduced to the UK are predominantly brown with dark brown or black blotches over the back and a lighter, often yellow, dorsal stripe.
Pool frogs are around the same size as common frogs, typically up to 6cm in length, with females slightly larger than males. During the breeding season the males have a loud call which is generated by a pair of inflatable pouches (vocal sacs) each side of the mouth; a feature absent from the common frog Rana temporaria.
Lifecycle
Pool frogs breed much later in the year than the common frog. Breeding coincides with the onset of warm nights in May/June. The spawn ‘rafts’ are typically smaller than those of the common frog, and individual eggs are brown above and yellowish below.
Pool frogs (and other members of the green frog 'complex') are known to bask in the sunshine on even the hottest days.
Protection
The pool frog has full protection under UK law, including The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. It is an offence to kill, injure, capture or disturb them, and to damage or destroy pool frog breeding or resting habitat. It is also illegal to sell or trade pool frogs. This law applies to all life-stages.
ARC’s pool frog conservation work
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation – and its predecessor The Herpetological Conservation Trust - has been at the forefront of pool frog conservation since concerns about the species first arose. In collaboration with English Nature (now Natural England), we investigated the status of the pool frog and helped to determine that it was in fact a native species. We worked on the first Species Action Plan, which guided early work on the species, as well as more recent action plans and a reintroduction strategy. In practical terms, this planning has led to the first two reintroduction projects in Norfolk, as explained above. We have been central to the actual reintroduction projects – securing the permissions and funding needed, organising habitat management, undertaking releases and follow-up monitoring. We work with government to ensure that pool frog requirements are taken in to account in biodiversity planning and strategies. Most of this work is done in partnership with other others, including Natural England, University of Kent, Brighton University, Forestry Commission, Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Zoological Society of London, and independent herpetologists.
We are especially grateful for the long-term financial and in-kind contributions from Anglian Water and Natural England, which have been instrumental in turning around the fortunes of the pool frog. Other funders have also generously supported our pool frog work at various points, including Heritage Lottery Fund via the Breaking New Ground project.
ARC is also grateful to the following organisations for donations and grants that allowed us to set up a dedicated head-starting facility in 2019: Amphibian Ark, Anglian Water Flourishing Environment Fund (a charitable fund managed by Cambridgeshire Community Foundation), British Herpetological Society, Keith Ewart Charitable Trust and Natural England.
Tadpoles head-started in 2019 and in 2021 (under the current Green Recovery Challenge Fund work) have been released at Thompson Common, the last known home of this species before its extinction from England in the 1990s. Visit our Recovering the northern pool frog – England’s rarest amphibian project page to find out more.
We also thank all the individuals who have donated money via our sponsor the pool frog appeal. We are continuing to fundraise to support the operation of the facility in future years.
Natterjack toad
Epidalea calamita - formerly Bufo calamita
Where to find them
In Britain the natterjack toad is almost exclusively confined to coastal sand dune systems, coastal grazing marshes and sandy heaths, though a single colony has been found on an upland fell site in Cumbria.
Natterjack toads are often associated with ponds in sand dune slacks, which are often more shallow and warm. Natterjacks require warmer water in which to breed successfully.
Natterjack toads are found on about 60 sites in Britain and occur on a small number of sites in south-west Ireland.
Notable natterjack toad populations exist on the sand dunes along the Merseyside coast, the Cumbrian coast and on the Scottish Solway. The natterjack used to be quite common on the heaths of Surrey and Hampshire and also around the coast of East Anglia but sadly only one or two colonies now remain. Re-introduction programmes have now started to restore the range of this animal.
Identification
This rare toad is smaller than the more widespread common toad (Bufo bufo). Natterjack toads also exhibit a thin bold yellow stripe down the middle of the back, and have notably shorter legs on which they walk rather than hop. The natterjack gets its common name from the loud rasping call made by the male in spring.
Natterjacks calling
In spring, on warm, still nights, the adult male natterjacks gather round the breeding pools and emit a rasping call. The louder the call the more chance they have of attracting a female.
This can be heard up to a mile away!
On one occasion, a clever young male was seen calling from inside a jam jar which amplified the sound!
Help Animals UK has a rescue directory of more than 300 organisations that need support. If you enjoyed this blog, head over and find your local rescue and make a donation.
Comments