What is this?

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Chris
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Spotted this on the path at home, I think its a toad but I have never seen one this colourful before

p3307692742-4.jpg


Any ideas of what it is?

Cheers
 
Looks more like a frog than a toad to me but I'm not an expert.
 
I was inclined to say the same thing as @Nod , it doesn't look warty enough to be a toad. But then again, not smooth enough to be a frog .. Either way I'm pretty sure its gravid.

As for the colour, a few years ago, cleaning out a "soak-away" there was a whole colony of frogs living in there, how they got there is anyones guess,
but even living their lives underground, they were a myriad of colours ( in each frog) mostly reds / browns / greens and yellows :thinking:
 
Pretty sure it's a frog, striped legs, wet looking skin and toads have gold coloured eyes.
 
Definitely a common frog (Rana temporaria), and looks like a female full of spawn on her way to a nearby breeding pond. You can tell it's a common frog (as opposed to a common toad) by the large, dark 'bandit mask' type patch behind the eye on the side of its head that covers the eardrum (the circular shape you can see within the dark patch). Colour can vary a lot in common frogs, with brown, grey and olive green often being prominent, but extremes of colour can include orange, red, yellow and even albino. Individual frogs can also slowly change colour in response to temperature and light.

The skin of frogs is fairly smooth and they usually look moist and shiny when you see them on land. The common toad has quite rough and granular (warty) skin, and often looks fairly dry when on land. Adult common toads are usually a bit smaller than an adult common frog, although their size ranges do overlap, so you can't go by size alone. Hope this is useful.
 
yup temporia and she wants a man !! :)

Wow that is properly gravid ,she's gorgeous chris you should have got down there with her her colour is stunning:).

A mate over in S Wales has some that are almost orange in appearance breeding close by (wild not captive in any way). Her colours don't surprise me . Boys will have little pads on their thumbs for amplexus this time of year also usually smaller SNV( snout to vent),it has to be female though.

They only need water to breed, Chris........... you can find them a good way from water other times of the year, she's on her way to her birthplace. probably best shoooo...ed:LOL: off a road, if frog they jump well, Maybe best picked up and moved if toad they run too slow..... wet hands if poss: very sensitive skins.

Cheers for sharing loved seeing this:cool:

Cool post Mr B !!

stu
 
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