As Loathsome As A Toad Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bufonidae

The common toad species, found throughout Europe, belongs to the genus 'Bufo' and is known as 'Bufo bufo'. It was named as such in 1768 by the Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti.

Answer: Cane toad

Also known as the giant neotropical toad and the marine toad, the cane toad is native to South and mainland Middle America. It was not only introduced to Australia but many other countries throughout Oceania and the Caribbean for the biological control of agricultural pests following its successful introduction to Puerto Rico in the early twentieth century to control beetles on the sugarcane plantations.

In Australia, however, the introduction of the cane toad in 1935 was a disaster. They were unsuccessful in reducing the Australian grey-backed beetles (which infest the tops of sugar cane) because cane toads are ground-dwellers, not good at climbing. And, because they fed instead on native creatures, they have had a shocking effect on Australian biodiversity. Prolific breeders and fast travelers, the cane toads soon moved out of the Queensland cane fields and can be found in the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Western Australia.

Answer: Ireland

Despite its name, the common European toad is NOT found in Ireland, Iceland, Scandinavia's cold northern areas, and the Mediterranean islands of Malta, Crete, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearic Islands. In the east, its range extends to Siberia; and in the south to parts of north-western Africa - Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Interestingly, Japan and eastern Asia have a toad which is closely related to the common European toad.

Answer: Yellowish

The common toad has yellowish irises, but what makes their eyes look quite sinister is their horizontal slit-shaped pupil, designed for night feeding. Toads emerge at dusk for feeding and travel considerable distances in the dark in their hunt for prey, and while their eyes don't recognize their prey as such, they are sharp enough to attempt to eat any small, moving object they encounter in the dark. Actually, in light intensities at which humans are unable to see anything, toads can see very well.

Answer: Eat it

During periodic sheddings, the skin of toads falls off in pieces which they then eat. Considering that the skin of adult toads can be infested with larvae of a parasitic fly - which, when hatched, crawl into the toad's nostrils and eat it internally - shedding skin may be Nature's way of protecting the toad. Interestingly, a toad's skin contains enough toxins to cause death in animals and man, but toads are obviously immune to these toxins when they eat their own skin.

Answer: Amplexus

At mating time, male toads develop nuptial pads on some of their fingers which are used to mount the females' backs and grasp them firmly. This grip is known as amplexus and the male stays in this state for several days, during which the female lays her eggs and he fertilises them with his sperm. During amplexus, the female moves around, piggybacking the male. Her gelatinous egg strings, containing up to six thousand eggs, can be up to 4.5 metres in length and they often get tangled in vegetation.

Answer: Noxious secretions

Common toads have no teeth or tail, and don't howl. Their main defence mechanism is contained in their parotoid glands - two bulging areas on the back of their heads and in other glands on their skin. It's a foul tasting secretion containing a toxin called bufotoxin - an alkaloid poison - and toads excrete it when stressed. Bufotoxin was first identified in 1922, and by 1986 researchers identified its constituents (C40H60N4O10).

It deters many predators, but not all. Different types of toads contain different substances and quantities of it, and the cane toad is more toxic than others.

The Colorado River toad (Bufo alvaris) is interesting for its bufotoxin having 'psychoactive' effects on humans using it as a recreational drug.

Answer: Loch Ness

Researchers surveying Loch Ness, Scotland, using a remotely controlled underwater vehicle, saw a common toad at a depth of 324 feet. It was moving along the bottom of the loch and appeared to be quite at home there! Common toads are also found surviving at altitudes of up to 2,500 metres and in dry areas far away from water. The majority of common toads, though, can be found in wetlands and forested areas providing good cover during the day.

Answer: Birds

Hedgehogs, rats, mink, cats and grass snakes have been known to eat toads, but birds are the most common predator of common toads, particularly herons, crows and birds of prey. Crows cleverly avoid the toad's toxins by using their beaks to break the skin, allowing them to peck out the toad's choicest body part - its liver. Toad tadpoles are at far more risk of being eaten. They deter fishes from eating them by exuding noxious secretions, but this does not deter the great crested newt, dragonfly larvae, diving beetles and 'water boatmen' (a predatory aquatic bug).

Answer: Bidder's organ

Under certain conditions, the Bidder's organ in male toads becomes an active ovary transforming them into females. Another interesting fact about toads is that in the genus Nectophrynoides, the eggs don't hatch into tadpoles - they hatch as miniature toads!