Common Midwife Toad
Alytes obstetricans
The male midwife toad carries the fertilized eggs wrapped around his hind legs for several weeks, keeping them safe on land before depositing them in water just as they are ready to hatch.
- Scientific name
- Alytes obstetricans
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Amphibia › Anura › Alytidae › Alytes
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Temperate forests, shrublands, rocky slopes, quarries, and traditional stone walls, usually near small pools or damp areas.
- Diet
- A variety of small invertebrates including beetles, flies, spiders, caterpillars, and slugs.
- Range
- France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, United Kingdom
- Size
- 3.5 to 5.5 cm
- Lifespan
- 5 to 8 years
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss, pollution of breeding sites, agricultural chemicals, and the deadly chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis).
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless but defensive. This toad secretes mild toxins from its skin warts that can irritate human eyes and mucous membranes. Avoid handling, especially males carrying eggs. If contact occurs, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water immediately.
The common midwife toad ( Alytes obstetricans ) is a species of midwife frog in the family Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae). It is found in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (although, in the latter, only as an introduction). Like other members of its genus ( Alytes ), the male toad carries the eggs around entwined on his back and thighs until they are ready to hatch.
Photo: Diego González Dopico, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/5b94ad9f-988b-41bc-bc08-2bcbbe5c1065.md