Yellow-bellied Toad

• It performs the unken reflex, arching its body to show its yellow belly as a warning.
• Its lifespan varies enormously by region, from 5 to more than 20 years.
• It lives in temporary pools and mountain streams of central and eastern Europe.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (amphibian)

Habitat and environment

Temporary pools, mountain streams and unstable pioneer habitats of central and eastern Europe

Birth weight

Eggs laid in small clutches of about 15, stuck to water plants

Size at birth

A tadpole after hatching, completing metamorphosis in roughly a month

Sexual maturity

1.5 years (both sexes)

Gestation / incubation

The egg develops over a few days before hatching

Litter / clutch size

120 to 170 eggs a season, in small clutches of about 15

Life expectancy in captivity

Documented record of up to 29 years in captivity

Sources consulted: World Species; Amphibia-Reptilia (growth longevity study); iNaturalist; genomics.senescence.info; PMC (fast-slow continuum longevity study); The Animal Facts (fire-bellied toad comparativo); Nature (breeding age historical study); Lifeamphicon.eu; Kuzmin et al. 2009, IUCN Red List: catalogada como Preocupación menor por seguir siendo abundante en el sur y el este de su área, pero con tendencia poblacional decreciente; está protegida por la Directiva Hábitats de la UE || IUCN Red List, evaluación de Bombina variegata; Directiva Hábitats 92/43/CEE || IUCN Red List, evaluación de Bombina variegata; datos de fenología reproductiva de la especie

Best time: From March to May, when it emerges from hibernation and gathers in shallow temporary pools and flooded ground to breed