Natterjacks are claimed to be Europe's noisiest amphibian, the call of the male being audible over several kilometres.

Life span
Natterjacks can live for 12-15 years, but have many predators and so few survive to this age.

Statistics
Body length: 6-8cm (up to 10cm in rare cases). Females are larger than males.

Physical description
Natterjack toads have fairly flattened bodies with short limbs, and feet that are not completely webbed. They have green/gold-coloured eyes with horizontal black pupils, behind which are prominent parotoid (toxin-secreting) glands. The toad’s dorsal surfaces are pale brown, olive or grey, with red, brown or green-coloured warts. The ventral surface is white with dark spots, and they have a yellow stripe that starts at the top of their snouts and runs down their backs. Natterjack toads also have the ability to darken or lighten the colour of their skin, in order to camouflage themselves in their environment. Males can be distinguished from females by the presence of large vocal sacs and nuptial pads (hard patches on the inside of the forefingers which are used to grip the female while mating).

Distribution
Natterjack toads are found in southwest and central Europe, but are rare in Britain. They can however be found in southwest Ireland, pockets of Norfolk and Lincolnshire, and along the coast between Lancashire and Dumfries. They have also been introduced to Hampshire and Surrey.

Habitat
They prefer habitats with loose, sandy soil, such as sand dunes and lowland heaths and are sometimes found in brackish water.

Diet
Adults feed on insects, particularly moths, as well as spiders, woodlice, snails and worms. The tadpoles feed on algae and vegetation until they are about 38 days old when they begin to feed on animal tissue.

Behaviour
Natterjacks are mostly nocturnal. They tend to rest under large stones, or in crevices and burrows during the day. Their short limbs mean that they are unable to leap very far, and usually only do so as a startle response before going into their normal running gait (a bit like a lizard). They are also poor swimmers and are known to drown quickly in deep water if they cannot get ashore. Natterjacks emerge from hibernation in March (usually after common frogs and toads) and head off for breeding their sites. Like common toads, natterjacks adopt a defence posture when threatened, raising themselves up and inflating their lungs to appear larger.

Reproduction
Male toads arrive at the breeding sites first, which are usually in very shallow water and are often brackish. They call to the females and then climb on top of them. The females spawn a string of eggs that sit in a double strand, and then settle into a single strand after a couple of days. They may lay 3000-4000 eggs, which hatch within 5-8 days. Natterjack toad tadpoles are the smallest of all European tadpoles. Depending on the environmental temperature, metamorphosis can take anywhere between 5 and 16 weeks.

Conservation status
Natterjack toads are protected under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, but their populations have been affected by the decline of their heathland habitat over the last 25 years. The IUCN Red List does not list them.

Voice
Males have a loud rasping call, which sounds like rrrrRup, rrrrRup.