Have you ever heard the iconic, rasping call of the natterjack toad?
If you live on the Scottish Solway Coast or have visited there between the months of April and July, you may well have! The natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) is Scotland’s rarest amphibian and only occurs at a handful of locations in Scotland, all of which are along the Scottish Solway Coast.
Sadly, natterjack numbers are in decline, largely due to the loss of or damage to its available habitat. In order to help support the natterjack toad and ensure that the Scottish Solway Coast can continue to provide a home for it, we need to know as much about it as we can. That’s why we’re asking you to help, and the ask is simple: tell us if you’ve heard it!
If you have heard the toad, please email us with the date, time and location of where the toad was heard, and if possible an audio recording. Please send this to: sote@arc-trust.org.
What does the natterjack toad sound like?
Male natterjack toads call to attract a mate during the breeding season, which usually starts in April and can run until July. They produce a loud, rasping call that can be heard from up to a kilometre away! Here’s what their call sounds like:
Why is the natterjack toad under threat?
The natterjack toad is known to thrive in dynamic and changeable habitats such as sand dunes and saltmarsh (or “merse”). The species tends to lay its spawn in shallow, temporary water bodies that usually either dry up by late summer or are filled with sea water during spring high tides. This means that natterjack habitat is very susceptible to fluctuations in local weather patterns such as prolonged periods of drought or severe winter storms – both of which we are seeing more of as our climate changes. Their habitat is also vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal erosion and is thought to have been negatively impacted by agricultural intensification, forestry activity and urbanisation.
What can we do to help?
Through the Species on the Edge programme, our team on the Solway coast are working closely with landowners and land managers, helping them manage their land in a way that will benefit both their needs, and those of natterjack toads.
We’re also working with local partners to help create and maintain vital natterjack habitat and support breeding activity.
Lastly, we’re trying to learn more about the local natterjack populations by conducting surveys and encouraging people who have heard the natterjack toad to let us know. And that’s where you come in!
If you have heard the toad, please email us with the date, time and location of where the toad was heard, and if possible an audio recording. Please send this to: sote@arc-trust.org.
Please note that the natterjack toad is protected under UK and European law. It is a criminal offence to cause disturbance to the species or its habitats, including handling or photographing of the animal, without special licensing or permission granted by the relevant statutory agency (NatureScot in Scotland).
