Full marks to Anna here. We were walking along the Thames, after my shift had ended at 10pm last night (as in the changed time and date of this post), on our way to our favourite riverside drinking hole in Reading, for a pint of Badger beer Champion ale, when I spotted a nice fat juicy Black Slug, and got my phone camera out.
It was only then that Anna said...
"But what about that Frog?" (She meant Toad, so she's more than forgiven).
I hadn't even bleedin' seen the thing, such was my excitement about the slug. I assume toad had seen the slug too though, and was contemplating a nice mollusc supper.
This toad was wonderfully camouflaged though, to be fair, and it was dark! The Towpath along that stretch of the Thames is the colour of sandstone, and this toad blended in perfectly! That said, a killer bit of eyesight work from Anna! Great!
(I've altered the contrast etc... on the second (close up) picture, so it stands out a little more).Toads can vary their colour depending on their surroundings, but unlike a chameleon say, this takes a very long time. Then again, Toads have the time to spare, they can live for up to 40 years - this one may have been older than me! (Just... I know).
Toads are often squatter than Frogs, with more of a 'one colour finish', but can be readily distinguished from Frogs, of course, by their warty backs.
Toads are killed in great numbers on our roads, mainly in their breeding season. How many toads are killed in this way? Unbelievably enough, around TWENTY TONS of Toad, every single year!
You can deduce therefore that Toads are NOT rare, (though you'll do well to see one - good work Anna!), and not protected either, although some councils are allowing 'Toad Tunnels' to be built under roads that traverse "Toad breeding motorways"!
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