Why is Alytes known as midwife toad?

Midwife toads (Alytes) are a genus of frogs in the family Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae), and are found in most of Europe and northwestern Africa. Characteristic of these toad-like frogs is their parental care: the males carry a string of fertilised eggs on their back, hence the name “midwife”.

How big do midwife toads get?

5.5 centimetres
Description. The common midwife toad can grow to a length of 5.5 centimetres (2.2 in) but is usually rather smaller than this, the females generally being larger than the males.

Is a midwife toad poisonous?

Midwife toad produces toxin strong enough to kill adder in just few hours. Toxin is secreted from the skin on the backs. Midwife toad has stocky body, wide head, pointed snout and short legs. It has golden-colored eyes with vertical pupils.

How do midwife toads reproduce?

Midwife toads live in Europe and they stay in dry environments during adult life. After mating, the female lays eighteen to thirty-eight eggs on land, which are filled with yolk. Once the eggs hatch, the offspring live in the water as tadpoles. They initially have only front legs and eventually develop hind legs.

How do I get rid of midwife toads?

The easiest method to eliminate toads is to get rid of their eggs and dispose of them by burying in the ground or leaving them to dry out in the sun. The most humane way to kill toads is to put them into a sealed container (with air holes) and refrigerate overnight.

Where does the midwife toad live?

These western European toads live in forests and often near ponds and streams in open areas. Midwife toads are about 5 cm (2 inches) long and plump, with warty, dull-gray skin.

Do toads carry their eggs on their backs?

Literally. Some South and Central American frogs in the Gastrotheca genus, like the horned marsupial frog, brood their eggs in a pouch under the skin on mom’s back. Kids getting under your skin? It’s no joke for a female Suriname sea toad — she gives birth to her offspring right out of holes in her back.

Are toads good or bad?

Well, frogs and toads are OUR friends, working with us in our gardens. They help us keep our pest populations down, a great alternative to the use of pesticides. Just one frog or toad can eat up to 10,000 insect pests during the garden season, impressive indeed. Toads, like voles will borough into the garden soil.

What animal kills toads?

Of the Australian animals that can safely kill and eat Cane Toads, some of the most interesting are snakes. The Keelback Snake (Tropidonophis mairii), a non-venomous species native to northern Australia, can eat Cane Toads without lethal effects, whereas many other snake species would be killed.

What animals give birth through their mouth?

The gastric-brooding frog is the only known frog to give birth through its mouth. According to researchers at the University of South Wales, the frog lays eggs but then swallows them.

Where does a.o.alytes obstetricans occur in Europe?

There are three European subspecies. A. o. obstetricans occurs north of the Pyrenees, A. o. almogavarii between the Pyrenees and the Ebro river and A. o. boscai south of the Ebro river. Another subspecies, A. o. maurus Pasteur & Bons, 1962, is endemic in the Rif mountains in Morocco.

Where are obstetricans found in the Iberian Peninsula?

In the Iberian Peninsula A. obstetricans occurs from the sea shore (e.g. in Asturias and Basque Country) up to 1960 m (in Portugal) and 2400 m in the Pyrenees. In the Alps, populations can be found up to 1670 m in the Bernese Oberland.

What kind of water does an obstetrican live in?

The water habitat varies greatly: not only all types of pools and ponds are used, but also not too fast running creeks (mainly in Iberia) and rivers. A. obstetricans prefers permanent waters, because larvae often over winter in water.

Where are the obstetricans found in the world?

The species is present practically throughout France, with the exception of the higher part of the Alps. A. obstetricans shows a very clearly marked distribution limit between the mountainous and hilly regions of Central Europe which are inhabited, and the large plain to the North Sea, where the species is absent.