Bufo viridis - Toadish Surprise 🐸

As I was fixing the license plate of my motorcycle (it got bent when I pulled off the bike's cover) back to its place, I heard a loud croaking sound to my right.

It was dark and I didn't see anything so I waited to hear it again, but instead, I heard something crawling in the shadows.

I immediately ninja-jumped backward 😉 to avoid getting bit by the unknown critter (thought it was a snake 🤭) and hit the flashlight app on my LG phone.

There it was, hunting a damselfly which was attracted to the garden lamps lights, a lil' Green Toad 🐸.

The green toad (a scientific name: Bufo viridis) is a common species in amphibians in Israel.

The females have distinct green spots that protrude on a light gray background and the males have an almost uniform color - gray-green or brown-green.

The female is larger than the male and during the breeding season, it may even be twice as large.

The skin on the back is covered with bumps.
In the hind legs, there is a crust.
Next to the first finger, there is a digging wart.
The hind limbs are bigger and stronger than the front limbs.

The toad is less agile than the frog and progresses in walking or in small jumps.
Its mouth is toothless, and it swallows its food whole.

For protection, it secretes toxic mucus from the glands on the skin and from two central nodes in the ears.

Body length: 7 cm
Weight 25 grams.

Toads protect against these threats by secreting a toxic milky fluid called Bufinin that smells acrid from the entire surface of the skin and glands on the back of the neck, as well as through sudden urinary discharge.

During periods of drought, soil, holes, and tunnels are dug up.
During the rainy season, the toad accumulates water in the bladder, which is used during dry periods.

Enjoy!

LG G6+ Cam