fieldherping.eu

Hi there,

Just want yo share you some pictures because I've met 4 of them between 2016 and 2017.
Found 3 on the same place (2 adults and a young one) and another on another place (20 kimoeters away from the first but same kind of habitat). Both are stone-pits within agricultural plain.

Was the toad from middle photo running or just jumping? In 2012 in a quarry I found melanistic freshly metamorphosed B.b. bufo toadlet and there were several of them. I was visiting that site and another one nearby every year and I never found adult melanistic specimen. And no melanistic toadlets any more.











comparison with normally coloured specimen

It was running and near the puddle were the Natterjacks left their eggs.
Moreover, Common toads are not present in this area.

Common toads are not present in this area.

why?

Michal Szkudlarek wrote:

Common toads are not present in this area.

why?

No pond around and moreover, no forest areas. That's a very huge agricultural plain. We've been working on these stone-pits for years and never met any Common toad.

Alexandre Roux wrote:

Michal Szkudlarek wrote:

Common toads are not present in this area.

why?

No pond around and moreover, no forest areas. That's a very huge agricultural plain. We've been working on these stone-pits for years and never met any Common toad.

do you think that the black specimen from middle photo will look like 1st or 3rd specimen when grown up? is melanogenesis more intensified in early stage development than in maturity?

Clearly, it seems like they keep a dark colouration (especially the eyes).
I hope we'll meet more in the future.