Spiny toad

Spiny toad
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Anura
Family:	Bufonidae
Genus:	Bufo
Species:	B. spinosus
Binomial name
Bufo spinosus Daudin, 1803

The spiny toad, spiny common toad, or giant toad (Bufo spinosus) is a species of toad native to the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, extreme northwestern Italy, and North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia). ^{[1] [2]} There is an isolated population in Jersey in the Channel Islands which may be a distinct species, the Jersey Toad. ^{[3] [4]} For much of the 20th century, it was considered either a synonym or a subspecies of common toad Bufo bufo, but it is now classified as a separate species. ^[1]

Diet

These toads feed on a number of invertebrates from earthworms to insects and woodlice. ^[2]

Description

Adult males measure 58.6–112 mm (2.3–4.4 in) and adult females 65–180 mm (2.6–7.1 in) in snout–vent length. ^[2]

Pair of spiny toads mating

References

1. Frost, Darrel R. (2022). "Bufo spinosus Daudin, 1803". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001 . Retrieved 18 May 2022.
2. "Bufo spinosus". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
3. Arntzen, J. W.; Wilkinson, J. W.; Butôt, R.; Martínez-Solano, Í. (2014). "A new vertebrate species native to the British Isles: Bufo spinosus Daudin, 1803 in Jersey". Herpetological Journal. 24: 209–216.
4. "Jersey Toad, Crapaud or Western Common Toad Bufo spinosus" (PDF). JARG (Jersey Amphibian & Reptile Group). Retrieved 18 May 2022.