A team of volunteers surveying bats and dormice recently found new features from the common toads. The unexpected discovery shows that these amphibians tend to live in elevated habitats. The toads, first thought of as terrestrials, were spotted living in tree cavities and nest boxes located 1.5 meters from the ground.
Before this discovery, biologists believed that the common toads preferred living on the land surface. In the study, experts confirmed that the highest altitude of these animals is measured at three meters up a tree. With the features offered by natural forests, the authors said that it is likely possible for the animals to go higher than the elevations recorded.
The latest feature from the animals was the first time in history that a large group of amphibians showed the potential to climb up the heights of trees.
Unexpected Discovery of Common Toads in Elevated Nests
The researchers who found this ability in the common toads were conducting a study on separate animal groups, specifically on the dormice rodents and bats. The investigation was held as part of a larger project between the collaboration of the National Dormouse Monitoring Program and the Bat Tree Habitat Key, PhysOrg reports.
The study was carried out by scholars from the University of Cambridge and experts from the British amphibian conservation group Froglife Trust.
Cambridge's Department of Zoology specialist and Froglife trustee Silviu Petrovan, who also served as the study lead, explained that what they discovered is an exciting find from the amphibians and provides significant information about the life and conservation of the common toads living in various ecosystems.
Observations of common toads show that they tend to live in woodlands as these areas give resources and are best suited for their wintering habitats, but the latest study reveals a much more complex association between these animals and the towering trees, Petrovan continued.
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First Amphibian Living Up in Trees
Common toads were categorized as terrestrial amphibians because of their constant presence in water and land, especially during breeding. Only a few members of the species were seen climbing up to trees in the UK before the discovery.
Monitoring common toads and other UK amphibians living in trees was not as prominent as dormice and bats. The authors emphasize that sharing information between organizations that represent specific species is essential to understand more about the wildlife in the UK as well as other species scientists that scientists believe are well-known.
People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) conservation research lead Nida Al-Fulaji said that their discovery was exceptional, as the community only focused on small mammals and woodland birds on trees, not knowing there are actual amphibians in these elevations.
It is still a mystery how the common toads climb up to the tree cavities and share vacancies with bats and dormouse. The study was published in PLOS ONE, titled "Why link diverse citizen science surveys? Widespread arboreal habits of a terrestrial amphibian revealed by mammalian tree surveys in Britain."
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