Dumfries and Galloway residents urged to listen out for rare Scottish amphibian
The Solway Coast is the only place where the natterjack toad can be found in Scotland.
Dumfries and Galloway residents are being asked if they've heard the iconic call of a rare creature.
The Solway Coast is the only place where the natterjack toad can be found in Scotland, having once been so abundant that Powfoot villagers said it sounded 'as though it were in the tropics' during the spring and summer.
But the population has declined dramatically in recent years, mainly due to the loss or damage of its natural habitat.
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and Species on the Edge are now asking for anyone who thinks they might have heard the croaking of a natterjack toad in recent years to help shape conservation efforts.
Species on the Edge Solway Coast project officer, Liam Templeton, said: 'The natterjack toad is an incredibly rare and charismatic species that we are fortunate enough to have associated with our Scottish Solway Coast.
It is beloved by the communities with whom it shares its surroundings, and its disappearance from the Solway coast would be a tragic loss to the cultural identity of these places.
'Those communities now have an opportunity to play an important role in helping to inform efforts to conserve the species, and I'm committed to using my role to empower them with the skills and confidence to make meaningful contributions to species recovery.'
Natterjack toads can be distinguished from the common toad by the distinctive yellow stripe along its back. It produces a loud rasping call that can be heard as far away as one kilometre. The mating call of males can be heard during breeding season, which can run from April until July.
The natterjack toad is known to thrive in dynamic and changeable habitats such as sand dunes and saltmarsh or merse, many of which are threatened by natural processes such as sea level rise and coastal erosion. The species is also thought to have been negatively impacted by agricultural intensification, forestry activity and urbanisation.
The toads tend to lay their spawn in shallow, temporary water bodies that usually either dry up by later summer or are filled with sea water during spring high tides. As a result, their habitat is very susceptible to fluctuations in local weather patterns such as prolonged periods of drought or severe winter storms.
Anyone who thinks they have heard the toad should send the date, time and location – and if possible an audio recording – to sote@arc-trust.org.
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