# 'Giant' toad Id



## Blaptica (Jun 26, 2008)

Any ideas what species, and where it might be from ? Thats my arm in the picture and I am not small.


----------



## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Looks like a female cane toad to me. Where was the picture taken?


----------



## Blaptica (Jun 26, 2008)

Portugal


----------



## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Blaptica said:


> Portugal


 ????

I assume not in the wild! :gasp:


----------



## Caleb (Oct 21, 2009)

If it was in the wild, most likely the southern European subspecies of the common toad (Bufo bufo spinosus). These can get pretty big- there's a photo of an 18cm one here:
Herpetofauna of Europe : s italy & sicily (march-april 2005)


----------



## REDDEV1L (Nov 27, 2008)

Its parotoid glands don't look right for a marinus imo Ron. In fact they don't even look right for a bufo !! :lol2:


----------



## Dragon Farm (Aug 7, 2009)

Yes, this toad was found in the wild.


----------



## fardilis (Mar 22, 2011)

Caleb said:


> If it was in the wild, most likely the southern European subspecies of the common toad (Bufo bufo spinosus). These can get pretty big- there's a photo of an 18cm one here:
> Herpetofauna of Europe : s italy & sicily (march-april 2005)


Yep looks like _B.bufo spinosus: victory:_ This subspecies grows a lot larger and has slightly thinner and more 'spread out' skin. They also have small glands in comparison to toads of a similer size.

Edit: Just to add these are native to Portugal.


----------



## Blaptica (Jun 26, 2008)

Yes, to those you say its a _Bufo Bufo spinosus,_ your correct_. _This is the same species as the Common toad many of you will be familiar with in the UK. Apologies, I already knew what it was, but I wanted to see whether the rest of you might think it was an exotic because of its size. 

Here is a another couple of pics taken of this toad at the same time 

This is one of my son (nearly three years old) holding it.









and another showing its belly










I see this toad every couple of months or so. She has taken three years to grow from 11cm to 15cm. She regularly enters an outbuilding via a cat flap. Its not a coincidence I think that this outbuilding is used to breed live food. I'm sure she takes advantage of the escaped bugs.


----------



## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Fabulous toad!


----------



## REDDEV1L (Nov 27, 2008)

Lovely, but somewhat scary, eyes !!! 

/WANT


----------



## ronnyjodes (Apr 29, 2011)

What an awesome looking animal


----------



## Oli P C (Sep 17, 2009)

*spot on toad*

He reminds me of my old pet comman toad freddie i had as a kid:2thumb: really nice toad


----------



## Blaptica (Jun 26, 2008)

Hopefully in a year or two she will still be around and even bigger. 

This is a great place for amphibians. We have 12 wild species on the farm, including 4 toads (Common, Natterjack, Western Spadefoot and Iberian Midwife). 

Believe it or not (it has never happened before), but as I was typing the last line an adult (wild) Moorish Gecko landed on my head.


----------

