Natterjack toad

The natterjack toad has a characteristic yellow stripe down its back.

It is a medium-sized toad with dry, warty skin, yellow-green eyes with a horizontal pupil, and protruding eardrums. Natterjack toads can grow up to 10 cm in length.

Like most amphibians, the natterjack toad is inherently nocturnal. It emerges at dusk to hunt in open areas. The natterjack toad has a relatively late breeding season. In mid-April it leaves its hibernation den, which can be several metres underground, and makes its way to the breeding pools. Once at the pool, the males make a loud mating call in the shallows. The rattling noise can be heard up to a kilometre away. It attracts species from far and wide. The natterjack toad can be found in the park's many meres in the Deelensche Veld, the mere behind the Visitor's Centre, the boggy heath, and in the various freshwater ponds.