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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
Oriental
fire-bellied toad, fire-bellied toad |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Amphibia |
| ORDER: |
Anura |
| FAMILY: |
Discoglossidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Bombina
orientalis (from the Orient) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
The
toad's dull brown to bright green back is usually
dotted with black spots. Its belly is red or orange-red.
It has a small round head and large eyes with heart-shaped
pupils. |
| MALE |
Males
can be distinguished from females by their generally
rougher backs and thicker forearms. |
|
| SIZE: |
3.8-6.3
cm (1.5-2.5 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
28-56
g (1-2 oz.) |
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| DIET: |
Consists
mainly of small insects, worms and mollusks |
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| INCUBATION: |
A
drop in temperature signals the toads that it is
time to breed. Tadpoles hatch 3-6 days after the
eggs are laid. |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
Females
lay approximately 40-70 eggs, attached to submersed
plants, rocks, or sticks. |
| LARVAL
DURATION |
After
approximately one month, the tadpoles begin to crawl
out of the water. |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Average
lifespan up to 20 years, may live as long as 30
years |
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| RANGE: |
Native
to South-eastern Siberia, North-eastern China, and
Korea |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
mountain lakes and ponds from 1,700-3,000 m (5,300-10,000
ft.) above sea level. The toad is aquatic throughout
the spring and summer, and then buries itself in
soft ground for winter, emerging at the first signs
of warm weather in the spring. |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Frogs
are exothermic (cold-blooded) amphibians. Amphibian
means "both lives", meaning living both
on land and in water. In order to live in both environments,
frogs must go through metamorphosis. When the frog
is a tadpole, it lives in water. Later, the tadpole's
gills change into lungs. It also grows feet and
its tail shrinks. |
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| 2. |
In general, frogs have smooth skin while toads have
textured skin. |
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| 3. |
The Oriental fire-bellied toad moves about very
little during the day, except to hunt for food. |
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| 4. |
When
a fire-bellied toad senses danger it arches its
body, flashing the brilliant warning spots on its
belly. This reaction is called the unkenreflex and
is derived from the German name for fire-bellied
toads (unken). |
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| 5. |
Oriental
fire-bellied toads have a plaintive, melodious croak
that sounds like a clinking bell. |
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| 6. |
Contrary
to popular belief, humans get warts from human viruses,
not from frogs and toads! Frogs and toads have various
glands, which secrete poisons for protection. These
secretions can cause skin irritations and may be
poisonous to some species of animals. |
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Like all amphibians, fire-bellied toads have porous
skin and respond quickly to changes in the environment.
The health of their populations can be an indicator
of the health of the environment.
These toads are extremely popular in the pet trade
and generally easy to keep; however, a serious threat
facing wild populations is the intentional release
and accidental escapes of non-native wildlife, such
as fire-bellied toads. |
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|
|
| Mattison,
C. 1987. Frogs & Toads of the World.
Blandford Press, Poole, New York, Sydney. 191 pp. |
|
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Duellman and Trueb. Biology of the Amphibians.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1986. |
|
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Stebins
and Cohen. A Natural History of Amphibians.
1995. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New
Jersey.
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