Natterjack Toad
Epidalea calamita
The Natterjack Toad is a pioneer species that prefers open, sunny habitats with loose soils and shallow, temporary water bodies. It is characterized by a narrow yellow stripe down the middle of its back and short hind legs, which allow it to run in a mouse-like fashion. It is famous for the extremely loud mating calls of the males, which can be heard over two kilometers away. As a pioneer species, it rapidly colonizes newly created habitats such as gravel pits or military training areas.
Details
Identification
Yellow dorsal stripe, golden-yellow iris, warty skin, short hind legs (runs instead of hopping), greenish to brownish marbling.
Social behavior
Largely solitary outside the breeding season; males form calling choruses during the reproductive phase.
Diet
Insects (especially beetles and ants), spiders, worms, and other ground-dwelling invertebrates.
Hunting strategy
Active ground hunting by running quickly and seizing prey with the tongue.
Spawning substrate
Shallow, vegetation-free small water bodies, puddles, and water-filled tire tracks.
Overwintering
Hibernation in self-dug burrows in sandy soil or in rodent burrows.
Ecology
Ecological role
Important predator for insects and invertebrates; tadpoles regulate algal growth in pioneer waters.
Natural predators
Birds (e.g., herons, raptors), grass snakes, small mammals (e.g., hedgehogs, martens).
Competitor species
Common Toad, European Green Toad, Common Frog (competition for spawning sites).
Ecosystem service
Natural pest control by consuming insects in agricultural and open landscapes.
Threats
Habitat loss through filling of excavations, agricultural intensification, drainage, and ecological succession.
Scientific profile
Profile
Distinguishing features
Yellow dorsal stripe; very short hind limbs leading to a characteristic mouse-like running gait (running instead of hopping); pale yellow iris; loud, far-reaching mating call.
Role in food web
Secondary consumer; larvae serve as food for aquatic insects and dragonfly larvae; adults are preyed upon by birds and grass snakes.
Protection & threats
Main threats
Loss of pioneer habitats due to succession, abandonment of military training areas/quarries, intensive agriculture (pesticides), groundwater depletion, and landscape fragmentation.
Population trend
Declining in large parts of Central Europe due to habitat loss; usually classified as 'Vulnerable' (Category 3 or V) on the Red List in Germany.
Conservation measures
Creation and maintenance of dynamic raw soil sites, construction of temporary small ponds, keeping quarries open (succession management), and habitat connectivity.