For some, some amphibians, including frogs, may seem unpleasant and repulsive animals. In fact, small animals are quite goodnatured and in no way can harm a person. An interesting representative of amphibians is the gray toad. Another name of the animal is the cow. Adults do not like water and almost all the time live on land. Pescles plunge only in the wedding period. E amphibians can be found in Eurasia, Europe, Africa, Japan, China and Korea.
Description and life expectancy
The largest amphibians of this species are precisely the gray toads. They have a squat body, short fingers on the paws, dry and tuberous skin. The mucous glands on the body of the animal is very small. This makes it possible to keep water in the body and feel great away from moisture. Toads can swim in dew, thereby storing liquid. A powerful weapon against enemies is the venom of the amphibian, which is distinguished by special glands located behind the eyes. The poisoning substance acts only when the animal enters the mouth of the enemy (it causes vomiting).
Females of gray toads are larger than male individuals. They can grow up to 20 cm. The color of amphibians varies depending on the season, age and gender. The most common are gray, olive, dark brown, terracotta and sandy shades.
Gray toads can live up to 36 years in captivity.
Nutrition and behavior
Invertebrates the main source of food for the gray toad. She uses slugs and worms, bugs and beetles, spiders and ants, insect larvae and small snakes, lizards and cubs of mouse. To smell the prey, it is enough to get closer to an amphibian at a distance of 3 meters. Sticky tongue helps in insect hunting. Gray toads grasp the jaws and paws larger food.
Amphibians lead a night lifestyle. In the afternoon of ideal shelters, gorges, holes, tall grass, roots of trees are becoming ideal. The toad jumps well, but prefers to move with slow steps. Due to their cold resistance, amphibians fall into hibernation with the very last. At the end of March, gray toads awaken and move to the proposed place of reproduction. Animals at the time of aggression look completely unattractive: they inflate and take a threatening pose.
Court of courtship ritual and propagation
It is amazing that gray toads are looking for themselves one chosen one and mate only with him. For this, individuals float on a welllit and warmed shallow water, where they can lie at the bottom for hours, periodically appearing on the surface to obtain oxygen. During sexual intercourse, the male wrapps his front paws of the female and emits sobbing, grunting sounds.
Throughout its life, the gray toad propagates in one single reservoir. Every year, males are waiting for their chosen ones at the “destination”. Male individuals marry their territory, which is carefully guarded from other competitors. The female can postpone from 600 to 4,000 eggs. The process is performed in the form of laces. When the caviar is asleep, the female leaves the reservoir, the largest male remains to protect the future offspring.
The incubation period lasts about 10 days. Tuptuous flocks of tadpoles with pleasure swim in warm water. In 2-3 months, the cubs grow up to 1 cm and leave the reservoir. Sexual maturity occurs at 3-4 years of life (depending on the floor).
The benefits of amphibians
Gray toads benefit for humans, effectively destroying insect pests and fields.
