Bombina – Fire-bellied toad

Commonly known as fire-bellied toads, it is a group of small, vibrant amphibians known for their striking coloration and unique behaviors. These toads are found across Europe and Asia, thriving in a variety of wet habitats, including ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams. They are particularly notable for their distinctive underbellies, which flaunt vivid red, orange, or yellow patterns that contrast sharply against a black background. This bright coloration warns potential predators about their toxicity—a defense mechanism known as aposematism.

Unlike many amphibians, Bombina species possess little webbing between their toes, an adaptation more suited to their often terrestrial lifestyle outside the breeding season. During the breeding season, however, these toads gather in waters where their loud and distinctive calls, resembling a dog’s bark, can be heard as males call to attract females.

One of the fascinating aspects of Bombina toads is their “sunken reflex.” When threatened, they arch their bodies and limbs to expose their brightly colored underbellies, enhancing the effect of their warning colors to dissuade predators. This behavior is both a fascinating survival strategy and a spectacle in itself.

Bombina toads’ life cycle is intriguing as well. They lay their eggs in water, attaching them to vegetation or scattering them on the water’s surface. The emerging larvae, or tadpoles, are aquatic and undergo metamorphosis into toadlets that gradually adapt to a more terrestrial way of life. This metamorphosis is a crucial phase in their development, as it equips them with the lungs needed for terrestrial life while they lose their gills, which are essential for breathing underwater as tadpoles.