Welcome back to another fun-filled week of Wild Facts. I hope you enjoyed your weekend and managed to get some rest, since we are heading to the other side of the world to look for the Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad, which exists in Korea, China and Russia. Similarly, we have managed to introduce this species to Beijing so that is a possible travel destination as well. One of the main lessons you should get out of today’s animal fact is that you really can’t judge a book by its cover. If you want to find out why, we will need to board our plane for Asia. So what are you waiting for?
So why can’t we judge a book by its cover? Well for starters, this toad species, isn’t actually a toad! Nope, they have bumpy skin like a common toad, however, they are actually a frog. Similarly, from above the Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad looks like a normal green frog with black spots, which is great for blending into their environment. The minute they perceive danger though, this frog will reveal their true colours. As a predator moves in the Fire-Bellied Toad will arch their back, and sometimes completely flip over, showing their bright red belly. Obviously, this bright colouration signals danger to the predator letting them know there is a good chance they will die if they try eating our froggy friend. See, what looked like a tasty snack turned out to be a possible deadly encounter!
So is the Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad bluffing or do they actually have a poison? This is the decision you would need to make if you are a predator and you better choose wisely since this particular “toad” isn’t bluffing. They will secrete a milky toxin from their skin, which is typically emitted from their legs or belly. Although, they are not the most toxic frog in the world, it is bad enough that I wouldn’t recommend eating them.
Are they harmful to humans? If ingested, the poison will cause some discomfort but for the most part, it won’t hurt humans too badly. Probably a good thing to know since the Oriental Fire-Bellied Toad is very popular in the pet trade. If you happen to own one then I highly recommend not handling it too much and make sure it is isolated from other frogs and toads. You don’t want them to be exposed to a poison all day long, right?
Well that does it for our first fact of the week. Enjoy the rest of your day and I will see you tomorrow.
