The midwife toad is an interesting animal. Common midwife toad Message on the midwife toad
IUCN 3.1 Least Concern:
Description
A small, up to 5 cm long, animal covered with warts and reproducing through the laying of eggs, from which it forms characteristic "cords". Has a pleasant voice. The number of males and females in nature is not the same. Reproduction occurs, as a rule, on land, in captivity - in water. The midwife toad lives exclusively in hilly and mountainous areas (up to 2400 m).
Spreading
Inhabits forests, bushes, rivers, lakes clean water, in urban areas. Found in old quarries. The threat to the species is currently negligible.
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Notes
Links
- : information on the IUCN Red List website (eng.)
- www.floranimal.ru/pages/animal/zh/785.html
An excerpt characterizing the midwife toad
Boris did not know anything about the Boulogne expedition, he did not read the newspapers and heard about Villeneuve for the first time.“We are more busy here in Moscow with dinners and gossip than with politics,” he said in his calm, mocking tone. I don't know anything about it and don't think so. Moscow is busy with gossip the most,” he continued. “Now they are talking about you and the count.
Pierre smiled his kind smile, as if afraid for his interlocutor, lest he say something that he would begin to repent of. But Boris spoke distinctly, clearly and dryly, looking directly into Pierre's eyes.
“Moscow has nothing else to do but gossip,” he continued. “Everyone is busy with who the count will leave his fortune to, although perhaps he will outlive us all, which I sincerely wish ...
- Yes, it's all very hard, - Pierre picked up, - very hard. - Pierre was still afraid that this officer would inadvertently get into an awkward conversation for himself.
“And it must seem to you,” Boris said, blushing slightly, but without changing his voice and posture, “it must seem to you that everyone is only busy getting something from the rich man.
"So it is," thought Pierre.
- And I just want to tell you, in order to avoid misunderstandings, that you will be very mistaken if you count me and my mother among these people. We are very poor, but I, at least, speak for myself: precisely because your father is rich, I do not consider myself his relative, and neither I nor my mother will ever ask for anything and will not accept anything from him.
Pierre could not understand for a long time, but when he understood, he jumped up from the sofa, grabbed Boris by the arm from below with his characteristic speed and awkwardness, and, blushing much more than Boris, began to speak with a mixed feeling of shame and annoyance.
The midwife toad lives in Southwest Europe. Prefers a humid environment, settles near water bodies in chalky soils and in saxifers.
Appearance
The length of its wide and thick body is about 5 cm. She has short legs. It's rather clumsy and helpless. She is gray color with a brown-green tint, the abdomen is lighter - gray-yellow.
From large bulging eyes to the hips of a toad, a row of dark-colored warts stretches on both sides.
The skin secretes a lot of mucus through the glands, it contains a poison that many do not like. Therefore, our heroine has few enemies.
She has an eardrum, she can hear well. The eyes are well developed, lidded and able to distinguish colors. The sense of smell is also good.
Lifestyle
The toad leads a secretive life. It comes out hunting at night, and during the day it hides in burrows, in stones or in tree roots. Despite the overweight appearance, she digs a hole for herself with her paws if necessary.
Tracks prey while sitting in ambush, noticing it, throws out its sticky tongue with lightning speed and captures the victim. It feeds mainly on insects, but can eat a slug, and even a small lizard.
It hibernates for the winter, amphibians gather in small groups in caves or burrows.
reproduction
After awakening, in the month of March, they begin the breeding season, which will last until August. The male “sings” an inviting song for females, which flows beautifully and rings throughout the area. The voice of the performer is similar to the ringing of a bell, amazing.
Interested females respond, but no such luck. There are real battles between males, and all due to the fact that there are fewer females than males. And then, even more interesting: the father takes care of the future offspring.
In the natural world, there are not many examples of paternal responsibility that immediately pops up in memory, which bears children in its bag. it small digression, back to the midwife toad.
The female lays up to 150 eggs three times. The masonry consists of two cords 80-170 cm long. The male, holding the ends of the cord with his paws, winds the egg clutch around himself and wears it until the larvae appear. The female continues to live without worries and troubles.
The eggs do not cause any inconvenience to the male, he does not change anything in his life: he eats, hides in shelters for the rest. But, at the same time, he plays the role of a guardian of future offspring.
A forced smile on the “face” of a male common midwife toad (lat. Alytes obstetricans) eloquently speaks of a state of complete physical exhaustion. This is due to the fact that all the hard work of raising offspring falls on the shoulders of the male representatives.
naturephoto-cz.com
It is the father of the family who will take care of the laid eggs. The duties of the parents are strictly separated - the female lays a bunch of eggs, and the male fertilizes her. The caring father then wraps the future offspring around the hind legs to protect the brood from aquatic predators.
When the babies mature, the male moves to shallow water, and there, with tenderness and a sense of accomplishment, he watches how cute little tadpoles jump out of the egg.
However, if some of the voracious predators want to violate family idyll, he will be given a decisive rebuff. The fact is that the back of the male midwife toad is covered with small poisonous warts, which, in case of danger, instantly release a strong-smelling poison.
sabine-deschandol.com
It turns out to be so powerful that there are almost no people who want to be enemies of midwife toads. Needless to say, such a formidable dad's eggs are kept safe and sound. Unfortunately, the tadpoles themselves are deprived of such a powerful and useful weapon, so they often become easy prey for predators.
Common midwife toads have chosen countries as their place of residence Western Europe– Belgium, Holland, Germany, Spain. During the day they hide under rocks and logs or burrow into dry sandy soil. At sunset, the midwife toad leaves its hiding place, going in search of food, but by dawn it always returns to the same place.
Common midwife toad(lat. Alytes obstetricans) belongs to the family of the Round-speaking (Alytidae). This is one of the most archaic amphibian species. It presumably existed in jurassic mesozoic era about 170 million years ago. The midwife toad differs from other tailless amphibians in its rather melodious voice and in an unusual way breeding.
Although males are smaller than females, they have an innate paternal instinct, preferring to personally bear offspring on their bodies. Their love of children is so highly developed that many fathers manage to raise children from several females at the same time.
The species was first described in 1768 by the Austrian naturalist Josef Nikolaus Laurenti.
Spreading
The habitat is located in the Western, Southwestern and partially Central Europe. The midwife toad is found in northeastern Spain, northern Portugal and eastern Belgium. It is also common in Luxembourg, France, Switzerland and southwestern Germany.
small isolated population lives in Morocco. Together with sea cargo, amphibians were also brought to England, where they now live in the counties of Yorkshire and Bedfordshire.
They settle in areas with a warm climate and moist soil, where it is easy to find an underground shelter. Their hiding places are usually found near bodies of water. Amphibians are attracted to small shallow ponds, lakes and water-filled pits. They can often be found in shady gardens and parks.
In the Pyrenees, midwife toads are observed at altitudes up to 2400 m above sea level. 4 subspecies are known. The nominate subspecies inhabits most of the range, with the exception of the southern margins.
Behavior
Despite the fact that these amphibians are widespread, observing them in wild nature very hard because of their secretive lifestyle. The midwife toad hides in the shelter all day, leaving it only after dusk.
Shelter for her are piles of stones, rubble and holes of small rodents. If necessary, she can quickly dig a shelter for herself and on her own.
For their settlement, amphibians choose hilly and mountainous areas well warmed by the sun with a sparse vegetation cover and a heap of stones. Some populations are well established in the forests. In the distant past, they settled exclusively along the banks small rivers and lakes, where there were rubble screes or steep cliffs nearby. Over time, amphibians have adapted to exist in various biotopes.
Now midwife toads are often found in wet sand dunes and places where earthworks are being carried out. Especially willingly they settle in old kaolin workings. Unlike other types of toads, it is very difficult to distinguish a male from a female. Males do not have resonators, and during the mating season they do not develop calluses.
Food
Midwife toads consider it below their dignity to run after prey. They take a comfortable position in an ambush and wait with an air of importance for the prey to crawl, fly or gallop towards them.
Their menu is quite varied and consists of small insects, wood lice, spiders, fly larvae, earthworms, slugs and caterpillars.
In lifestyle different populations some difference is observed. Some actively populate new territories, while others prefer to stay in one place from generation to generation. Toad activity is shown from March to the end of September. Like other amphibians, they fall into hibernation hiding from the cold in underground shelters at a depth of more than 50 cm.
reproduction
The mating season begins in late March or early April. The male, sitting in his mink, emits gentle trills. According to connoisseurs, they resemble the play of glass bells.
Hearing the approach of the female, he immediately goes to meet her. On the way to the beauty, several males are often found at once, so fierce fights arise between them.
Females usually lay two sticky cords with eggs, in which up to 54 eggs are placed in each. After the eggs are fertilized, the males wrap these cords around their hind legs and carry them around. Each child-loving father tries to get eggs from 2-3 females, after which he returns to his mink with a sense of accomplishment.
During the incubation period, he regularly visits the nearest puddle to moisten the eggs. It may last depending on climatic conditions from 18 to 49 days. By the time the offspring is born, he goes to the reservoir and lowers the back of the body into the water, where frisky larvae begin to get out. Their body length ranges from 12 to 20 mm.
At warm weather and a sufficient amount of food, the larvae develop very quickly and after 3-4 weeks they undergo a complete metamorphosis.
Tadpoles grow until their tail begins to shorten. Them average length equals 6 cm, although some individuals grow up to 9 cm.
Juvenile amphibians that have come ashore are much smaller than tadpoles. Larvae that hatch in late summer often overwinter in the water, burrowing deep into the silt. In the spring, they leave their shelters and complete the interrupted cycle of development. They become sexually mature in the second or third year of life, depending on external conditions.
Description
The body length of an adult midwife toad reaches 4.5-5.5 cm. The body is dense. The back is ash gray, covered with dark olive spots.
There are numerous warts on the rough skin. Longitudinal rows of warts, often of a reddish tint, stretch from the eyes to the thighs.
Large bulging eyes have vertical pupils. Strong forelegs end in four toes. Hind limbs have 5 fingers.
The life expectancy of common midwife toads is about 8 years.
midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans)
Occurs from Central Europe to the Iberian Peninsula. This is a small animal about 50 mm long; on the upper side it is ash-gray with a yellowish, brownish or greenish tinge; on the underside - whitish or yellowish-gray. The warts are partly dark, black or yellowish-white; their longitudinal row, running from the eye to the thigh, is whitish, sometimes bright red. Unlike toads, it has a tympanic membrane. The closely related Iberian midwife toad (Alytes cisternasii) inhabits Spain and Portugal.
The midwife toad lives exclusively in hilly and mountainous areas (up to 2400 m). Prefers chalky soils, found in old quarries. But in general, habitats are very diverse, as are the reservoirs in which tadpoles develop. Active at night. During the day it hides in burrows, pits, burrows into the soil. Well digs moves along vertical planes.
The midwife toad, like frogs, collects food from plants, stones, or catches it in the air, and not on the ground, like real toads. Feeds on various invertebrates. Winters on land in burrows and caves.
Breeding in France continues from March to August; in Germany - from the beginning of May to the end of July. The voice of the male midwife sounds pleasant, like a sonorous glass bell. Spawns eggs in 3-4 portions, and one female lays only 120-150 eggs. The eggs are enclosed in two beaded cords, each of which reaches a length of 80-170 cm. The eggs lie at a distance of 4-7 cm from each other, and their number in one cord is from 18 to 54. The number of males in nature more numbers females.
The most amazing thing about the biology of the midwife toad is special shape care for offspring. The mating male, with two middle toes of the hind leg, grabs the end of the facial cord emerging from the female's cloaca, and, gradually pulling it out, wraps it around his hips. Then he carries the eggs on himself until the time comes for the tadpoles to hatch. Unlike most other tailless amphibians, the laying of eggs and fertilization in the midwife occurs, as a rule, on land. Under artificial conditions at high temperatures (from 25 to 30°C), mating takes place in water, but in this case the male does not wrap eggs around his paws.
During oviposition, males fight fiercely over females. Where there are many midwives, one male may mate and carry eggs from two or even three females. The male wanders with his burden everywhere, and it does not interfere with his normal life. Midwife eggs can withstand desiccation for a relatively long time. This is due to the structural features of their membranes, the transparent mucous substance of which is permeated with fibers that form a number of layers. Each fiber bends, some branches. Neighboring layers of fibers intersect at a right angle, as a result of which the midwife egg shells are so hard that they feel leathery to the touch and reliably protect developing fetus not only from drying, but also from mechanical damage. However, they are not able to swell in water to the same extent as the homogeneous shells of eggs of other amphibians devoid of fibers.
The development of caviar, depending on the weather, lasts from 3 to 7 weeks. By the time the tadpoles hatch, the male goes to the reservoir and begins to swim in it hastily. Within a few minutes, the larvae leave their facial shells, which have been torn apart by the movements of their tail. Shaking off the cubs, the male removes the empty facial cords from his legs and, no longer caring about the larvae, again goes to land.
The hatched larvae can live in a small amount of water. There are conflicting reports about the nature of their diet. The relatively small length of their intestines (only 4 times longer than in adults) indicates a carnivorous type of nutrition. However, there are indications that midwife tadpoles feed on plant foods. Some larvae believe that algae can support the life and growth of tadpoles, but they are not enough for metamorphosis.
The transformation of larvae ends in late July - early October. However, the midwife is very characterized by a long development of tadpoles - for several years. This has been observed both in captivity and in vivo. In Switzerland, hatched - tadpoles have a length of 16-17 mm and already lack external gills, which in the embryo in the egg reach a very large length. Eight days later, "larvae reach 32 mm in length, after about 4 months, i.e. in October - 55, in March next year- 65, in May - 76 mm. In June, that is, a year later, metamorphosis occurs. According to observations, in captivity, regardless of whether the larval development lasted two years or three, by mid-September the growth of tadpoles stops and resumes only in April, despite the fact that during this time the food intake of tadpoles did not decrease. Overwintered tadpoles during metamorphosis turn into young midwives noticeably more large size than metamorphosed in the same summer. In the Pyrenees, in a lake at an altitude of 2400 m, the living conditions for Midwife tadpoles are very unfavorable; in this regard, their hind limbs appear only after 13-14 months. Further development lasts several years, and some larvae are up to 20 years old.
Under artificial conditions, metamorphosis can be accelerated by enhanced lighting, high temperature, a small amount of water and shaking it, as well as a sudden onset of hunger.
When the midwife's caviar develops in water, the transformation occurs in the same year. If the larvae hatched from eggs ripened on land are not allowed into the water and forced to live for several more weeks on land, then, having finally got into the reservoir, they develop extremely rapidly and quickly again get out onto land. An increase in the duration of the larval stage can be achieved by prematurely transferring the larvae into the water when they still have external gills, as well as exposing them to darkness, low temperature, an abundance of calm water, and sudden feeding after a preliminary starvation. The long development of the midwife leads to the fact that the tadpole before metamorphosis is 174% of the length of adults.
Sometimes males throw off clumps of eggs when frightened or when squeezing into a narrow gap between roots and stones. In the lost lumps of eggs, the larvae develop in the same way as in those that the male drags along with him. The larvae are able to live without water for damp earth up to 4 weeks. Their skin becomes thicker, skin glands develop early, abundantly secreting mucus, and lungs quickly form. At the same time, the larvae crowd together, due to which moisture is better retained.