Common toad

Toad’s warty skin is dry, unlike the smooth and moist skin of frogs. The skin of toads secretes toxin, that makes it an undesired prey for predators. The toxin is harmless to humans, but a dog will feel sick, if it tastes the toad.

Toads move by walking, whereas frogs jump. After hibernation the toads migrate from burrows to spawning ponds even 5 km away. The female wraps the long strings of fertilized eggs around water plants.

The toad living at Korkeasaari Zoo is a former patient of the Wildlife Hospital. It did not recover sufficiently during treatment to return to the wild, so a special permit was obtained from the authorities for it to live in the zoo.