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Mating toads in August!!??

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mlevesley View Drop Down
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    Posted: 13 Aug 2003 at 10:38pm
I have a small pond in my back garden (only installed this summer) and have noticed a number of common toads in its vicinity. Over the last couple of nights one of the toads has been 'calling' and last night there was what looked like a mating pair in the water, which were still there, firmly clasped together, this morning. Surely toads don't mate at this time of the year?! Anyone shed any light on this. Many thanks.

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Mark
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote administrator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2003 at 11:20am
I've personally  not seen Common Toads behave like this outside the usually very restricted breeding season in the spring. Perhaps you have an exotic species in your pond where the breeding season may often be extended throughout the summer. Photographs and a desciption of the call would help with ID if you have any doubts.

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mlevesley View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mlevesley Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2003 at 8:01pm
The sound that it makes is a bit like the rhythmic squeak when someone is pumping up a bicycle tyre. I have taken some photos which are attached (or if I've not done this right they are at www.levesley.com/toads.html) - male on rocks in pond, male and female in pond, female on rocks away from the pond.

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Mark Levesley
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote administrator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2003 at 8:08pm

Hi Mark,

They look like common toads to me. The call desciption sounds like a typical common toad male release call.(There's a recording of this type of call on the common toad ID page though it takes a while to load) I've never heard of this before at this time of year has anyone else?

http://www.levesley.com/toads.html (just to make the link active) 



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote administrator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2003 at 8:15pm
http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/Common%20toad%20release%20call.htm Link to male common toad release call recording, takes about 3 minutes to load I'm afraid.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mlevesley Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2003 at 8:25pm
Hi Gemma

I've now listened to the recording and the squeaks are at the same sort of pitch as this, but much slower - with about 1 - 1.5 seconds between each squeak.

Mark

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote administrator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2003 at 8:40pm

Hi Mark,

High pitched calls like the recording are usually associated with young immature males, this might have some significance to your observations.  

I'll contact some of the UK's amphibian academics to see if such behaviour has been recorded before in common toads.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Martin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2003 at 12:03am
I know this isn't to do with toads BUT a couple of years ago we had frogspawn in October. Now was this early, late or a second clutch?

Martin.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote administrator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2003 at 12:26am
Strange Martin, I always thought before reproduction native anura had to hibernate, shows there's always more to learn/exceptions to rules, was the spawn R.temporaria and viable?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Martin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2003 at 8:45am
Yes it was and it hatched into tadpoles that sat overwinter in the pond!
We had another weirdey happen earlier this year when a female frog was picked up in Portsmouth from a pavement and on her own laid spawn overnight. It looked fully fertile, I'll get some feed back as to what happened with it as someone else took that spawn to see if it would hatch.

Martin.
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