One of the most interesting amphibians, which is sometimes kept as a pet, is a small frog - a red-bellied toad. It got its name for the tuberous skin on a red abdomen with dark spots, resembling solidifying volcanic flows. There is a popular belief that a toad lives near fire-breathing mountains (earth vents). Unka, kumka - these frogs are also called for the characteristic sounds that the males make during the breeding season.
Description
The size of the frog usually does not exceed 6 cm. In this case, the females are somewhat larger than the males. The appearance that distinguishes the red-bellied toad is distinctive. Description of the unusual color of these amphibians deserves special attention. The upper part of the frog is gray or almost black, covered with dark green spots. On a red or orange abdomen there are bluish-black spots with many white dots. Bright red color over the area does not exceed dark. There are many small red spots on the lower surface of the legs. With this color, the frog warns other animals that hunting for it is dangerous and can lead to poisoning. It is known that the skin of a toad is able to secrete the toxic substance frinolycin. It covers the entire body of the frog at the moment of danger, protecting it from enemies.
The membranes are present only on the hind legs of the toad, but are absent on the front. Another hallmark of this amazing frog is the pupils. They have an unusual triangular shape resembling hearts.
Habitats and distribution
This frog species is most commonly found in Central Europe (before Germany and Austria) and in Eastern - to the Urals, including the Kirov region, Udmurtia and Bashkiria. The northwestern border of the distribution of the toad passes from the south of Denmark and Sweden, and the southern one - along the northwest of Turkey, Krasnodar Territory and Stavropol.
Red-bellied toad prefers to settle in small, well-warmed standing reservoirs. It can often be found in small lakes, ponds, swamps and ditches with a muddy bottom, especially where there are a lot of duckweed and coastal vegetation. Occasionally, you can meet this frog in the semi-flowing backwaters of small rivers. She can move from one reservoir to another, making land movements up to 700 meters.
Lifestyle
The red-bellied frog frog is a predominantly aquatic animal. It is active at an air temperature of 10 to 30 ° C. Practically all of the warm season is spent in a reservoir, and in October – November it goes for wintering, which usually takes place on land. Rodent burrows, sand pits along the shores of ponds serve as a refuge, sometimes toads find wintering places under residential buildings and in cellars. Hibernation usually lasts 150 days - until March or April. 2 weeks after its completion, the frogs begin a breeding season.
Food
Under natural conditions, the red-bellied toad (the frog has a photo in this article) feeds on small invertebrates and insects - worms, dragonflies, bugs, etc. The diet largely depends on the habitat. So, in the Volga region and in Kazakhstan various beetles prevail in it, in the Voronezh region - earthworms, and in the Caucasus dipterous larvae are the main food. Among the frogs of this species cannibalism is sometimes found when large individuals eat small ones.
When keeping a toad in a terrarium or aquarium, it can be fed with bloodworms, flour worms, a tubeworm, crickets, small daphnia, as well as special feeds sold in pet stores. The diet of domestic frogs must necessarily include vitamin and mineral supplements. Young animals are fed daily, and it is enough for adults to give food once every two days.
Breeding
Red-bellied toad becomes a sexually mature individual only in the second, and sometimes even in the fourth year of life. The breeding season is very extended in time and lasts all summer. In shallow areas of the reservoir, where there is no current, the female lays eggs at night, which attaches to the stems of plants and algae. On average, the season the number of laid eggs is 300 pieces.
After about 10 days, tadpoles appear. They have a length of 3 to 5 mm and a wide caudal fin, with which they can move a fairly considerable distance. Turning them into a frog takes about 3 months.
Captivity
The toad in the home terrarium feels great. If frogs rarely live long in the natural environment, then in captivity their life expectancy is 10-15 years, or even more. In no case is it possible to place the toads in the same terrarium as other amphibians, since their poison will be harmful to neighbors. It is important to comply with certain requirements that experts make to the maintenance of these animals:
- The volume of the terrarium should not be less than 30 liters. It should have a small body of water up to 6 cm deep and a land plot.
- The presence of downward heating. The temperature should be maintained at 20–26 ° C in the daytime and 16–20 ° C at night.
- The soil consists of a drainage layer, earth and a small amount of moss. The land surface is best covered with sphagnum.
- On the surface of the water you need to put a raft on which the frog can crawl out.
- Residents of the terrarium need greenery. It can be aquarium plants in pots (anubias, cryptocorynes, etc.) or free-floating on the surface of salvinia, richia, elodea.
- From above the terrarium is covered with a net so that its inhabitants could not jump out.
With good care, such a frog as a red-bellied toad can live for a long time in the house.
