The midwife toad is a type of frog that belongs to the family Alytidae.
There are 5 species of midwife toads that can be found in certain parts of north-west Africa, Europe, and Majorca.
Midwife toads live in forests, woodlands, gardens, rocky areas, and quarries.
They are also well adapted to life in cold mountainous regions at altitudes of 5,000 to 6,500 feet and in the same coastal regions.
The number of midwife toads is declining due to habitat loss and a fungal disease called chytridiomycosis.
The common midwife toad is protected in Germany and Switzerland.
The midwife toad can reach 1.25 to 2 inches in length.
The dorsal surface of the body is gray or grayish in color. The belly is cream white, often covered with gray markings. The skin of a midwife toad is warty. Toxin is secreted by the skin on the back.
The midwife toad has a stout body, wide head, short legs, and short toes. It has golden eyes with vertical pupils.
The feet are partially webbed because the midwife toad spends most of its life on solid ground.
The Majorcan midwife toad has a flattened body. The specific body shape represents adaptation to life in deep cavities and narrow crevices in rocks (where this toad typically hides).
The diet of the midwife toad depends on age. Tadpoles are herbivores (plant eaters). They eat aquatic plants.
Adult toads are carnivores (meat eaters). They eat maggots, beetles, caterpillars, spiders, moths, worms, and millipedes.
Midwife toads hibernate during the winter in underground burrows and abandoned burrows.
Adult midwife toads have few natural predators due to the strong toxin. Tadpoles are the preferred food of fish and larger insects.
Mating season occurs from February to August. Males produce a bell-shaped sound to attract females.
Midwife toads have external fertilization. The female releases a series of eggs that the male covers with sperm.
These toads are called “midwife” due to the characteristic protective behavior of male toads.
Males carry strings of fertilized eggs on their hind legs to protect them from predators.
When the eggs are ready to hatch, males release them into the cool, stagnant water basin where tadpoles emerge from the eggs and swim.
Metamorphosis (transformation of tadpole into adult frog) is completed in 3 to 5 weeks, usually in September or October.