Fire-bellied Toad

The Fire-bellied Toad (Oriental fire-bellied toad, Bombina orientalis) is a small semiaquatic frog with a toadlike look. The back is bright, greyish or brownish green with black mottling, and the skin is covered in small tubercles. The belly is yellow, red or orange-red with dark spots, and the finger and toe tips are usually red.

They reach about 3.8-5.1 centimetres in length and weigh roughly 28-57 grams. Males can be told from females by the nuptial pads on their first and second fingers.

They are commonly kept as pets in land and water vivaria, and are seen as a relatively easy species to keep. They are also often used in scientific research.

Fire-bellied Toads come from northeastern Asia, including Korea, northeastern China and northeastern Russia, where they have become rather rare. They live in slow-moving streams and ponds, and in coniferous and broadleaved forests when out of the water.

They were first described by George Albert Boulenger, who placed them in the same group as the European fire-bellied toad and the Apennine yellow-bellied toad. The three were moved into the genus Bombina in 1907. Two subspecies were proposed in 1972, one more aquatic and one more terrestrial, but newer research found few genetic differences.

A population in Beijing came from about 200 animals brought from Yantai in Shandong in 1927 and released into wetlands, where they bred.

Fire-bellied Toads are active by day. They rely partly on sunlight to get enough vitamin D3, though they can also get some from their diet.

Adults eat worms, molluscs and insects. They cannot extend their tongues, so they leap at their prey. Tadpoles eat algae, fungi, detritus, plants and protozoans.

They are rapid learners, better than many other frogs. In experiments they solved mazes for a water reward.

When frightened they can produce a milky skin secretion, and may lie on their backs to show their bright bellies as a warning. Males call in the breeding season with a light sound like a musical triangle, made by inhaling, and will jump onto the backs of any other fire-bellied toad that passes, sometimes mistakenly clasping other amphibians, fish, plants or even human fingers.

In captivity Fire-bellied Toads often live for around 12 years, and sometimes up to 30.

They are very resilient to environmental disturbance compared with other amphibians, and can live and breed even in heavily polluted water. Even so, wild populations are declining slowly because of pollution, urbanisation and use in traditional Chinese medicine.

Their skin toxins are mild. Captive animals are generally less toxic than wild ones, as diet contributes to toxicity.

This is general awareness only, not veterinary advice. Always consult a vet about your pet's health.

Is a fire-bellied toad actually a toad?

No. Despite the name and the bumpy, toadlike skin, it is not a true toad. It is a small semiaquatic frog.

How long do fire-bellied toads live?

In captivity they often live around 12 years. Some have lived up to 30.

Are fire-bellied toads easy pets?

They are considered relatively easy to keep, needing little specialised lighting or heating. They readily eat feeder insects or small feeder fish.

Are fire-bellied toads poisonous?

They have mild toxins in their skin, and the bright belly is a warning. The mucus is harmless to skin but can irritate the mouth and eyes. The toxin is not a significant threat to human health.

Are they noisy?

Males make light calls like a musical triangle in the breeding season, and can also produce a croaking noise.

Unlike most frogs, they have no eardrum or resonator and call by breathing in.

In maze tests with the target on the right side of a simple T-maze, 80% of toads solved it in three days, and all had done so by day four.

Their skin contains bombesin, a peptide first found in their European relatives.

Some snakes eat them without any ill effect from the toxin.

Females lay 40 to 110 eggs in a cluster near the water surface.