Wetland Word of the Week 13
This week, our wetland word is...
... natterjack, our favourite kind of toad. They are identified by the distinctive yellow stripe going along their back and have a croaking mating call that you can hear through the spring months. Natterjack toads are a particular fussy creature, requiring very specific conditions to breed in - ponds can't be too deep or little fish will eat toadlets and they can't be too shallow or they may dry up in the warm summer months. Intensive farming and land us changes have caused a rapid decline in this species and now in the UK, they are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.
Words by Marianne Nicholson
Feature image of natterjack toad by Nick Cottrell
