Top 8 Useful Facts You Should Know About the Eastern Green Toad

The diet of wild tadpoles varies by species, but most feed primarily on small insects and invertebrates. They consume worms, spiders, crickets, ants, and almost any small animal they can catch and swallow whole.

The Eastern Green Toad is a vertebrate amphibian that originates from East and South Asia. This subspecies of the Toad family typically preys on insects, beetles living in trees, and pests.

It can be said that the Eastern Green Toad is a nocturnal creature, as it typically hides during the day and only ventures out at night to search for food.

When it comes to reproduction, most toad species fertilize externally in aquatic environments. The Eastern Green Toad breeds in the spring, when the weather warms up and rainfall increases, raising the humidity. Males produce calls to attract females, and once they come closer, the female allows the male to climb on her back and mate. Afterward, the female moves to a waterlogged area or the edge of water, where she lays 40 to 100 eggs in large clusters.

Depending on the temperature of the area, the tadpoles hatch in 3 to 10 days and begin developing, losing their tails and growing legs within 6 to 8 weeks, eventually moving onto land after 12 to 14 weeks.

In Vietnam, several toad families are commonly found, including Bufonidae, Bombinatoridae, Megophryidae, and Dicroglossidae. The Eastern Green Toad belongs to the order Anura, or possibly the order Caudata, and has a rough, bumpy skin. When fully grown, they usually live on land.

The Eastern Green Toad is native to southern China, particularly in the south. It has also been found in Vietnam, with sightings reported in Lao Cai (Sapa).

The Eastern Green Toad measures between to 5 cm in length, typically not exceeding 6 cm. Females are generally larger than males of this species.

Its weight ranges from 30 to 60 grams.

The lifespan of this toad can be quite long, ranging from 5 to 10 years, although some individuals have been known to live up to 30 years in captivity.

Here are some interesting facts about the Eastern Green Toad that you might not be aware of:

• Although poisonous, the Eastern Green Toad is often bred in animal farms for ornamental purposes.
• They hibernate from September to May each year, seeking shelter in decaying logs, leaf piles, or stream beds.
• In captivity, the Eastern Green Toad can live up to 30 years.
• In Sweden, this amphibian is even kept as a pet.
• The longest-lived Eastern Green Toad found was 35 years old.
• Besides using their toxin on arrow tips, the Olmecs also used the poison from the Eastern Green Toad as a hallucinogen.

The Eastern Green Toad is an amphibian species from the bufonid family, originating from East Asia, including regions like Russia, China, Korea, and southern Japan. Its eyes are triangular in shape, and it lacks eardrums.

The toad's skin plays a crucial role in its respiration, as it breathes primarily through its skin and lungs. The skin tends to be moist, leaving a slimy residue when touched. The body structure of the Eastern Green Toad is uniform, with short, small front limbs and long, powerful hind limbs that enable it to hop effectively.

Its color is usually a bright green with black or brown spots, depending on its environment. The limbs of the Eastern Green Toad are often brightly colored, which can be confused with frogs, but underneath its back skin, the toad has small warts and even venomous glands.

Generally, toads secrete toxins from glands located beneath their skin (toad poison). To warn off predators, the Eastern Green Toad often raises its front limbs, arches its back, and may even flip onto its back, exposing the brightly colored underside of its belly. This is a defensive reflex, signaling danger to potential threats.

Contact with toad secretions can cause skin irritation, burning sensations, and allergic reactions. If ingested, it can affect the cardiovascular system, leading to lowered blood pressure, hallucinations, and acute digestive poisoning.

Like many other amphibians, the Eastern Green Toad thrives in warm, moist forested areas near slow-flowing streams, ponds, or lakes. As tadpoles, they live on algae, fungi, and plants, while the adults venture onto land.

Some individuals of this species are found hiding beneath large rocks, piles of fallen leaves, or in the gaps between the earth near still water bodies with decomposing vegetation, particularly in higher-altitude areas above 2000 meters.