European toad

The European toad (B. bufo) is a type of toad, which is a squat, rough-skinned, tailless amphibian belonging to the order Anura, primarily the family Bufonidae. These toads are stout-bodied with short legs, giving them a characteristic walking or hopping gait. Their skin is typically dry and warty, often mottled brown, and features prominent parotid glands behind the eyes that secrete a poison when the toad is disturbed.1

While toads do not cause warts, their poison can irritate predators' eyes and mucous membranes. European toads are mainly terrestrial and nocturnal, feeding on insects and small animals. They breed in water, laying eggs in jelly tubes, and their tadpoles transform into adults within a few months. Amphibians, including toads, are found worldwide but are absent from Antarctica, most remote islands, and extreme deserts.12