Himalayan Toad

 

Himalayan Toad

The Himalayan toad is probably the most commonly occurring amphibian species found in the Indian and Nepalese region od the North Eastern Himalayas. The brownish rough exterior with multiple warts and skin granulation is the reason it is called “Khasrey Vyaguta” in Nepali which literally translates to “rough toad”. The Himalayan toad was first documented by Günther.The toad is an integral part of the tribal cultures of Darjeeling and Nepal as it is commonly associated with rainfall, witchcraft and also shamanic rituals. Although it is related to the shamanic culture, no actual reason behind this association has been reported. The Himalayan toad is also equipped with a musky pungent toxin secreted by its glands which possibly contains the common toxin in toads i.e. Bufotenine.

Conservation Statuss-Least Concern

Size-Adult males are comparatively smaller than females. A fully grown, sexually mature adult male can reach up to lengths of 110-120mm from snout to vent. As for adult females, the average length is about 120-130 mm. Some females may even grow to 150 mm in full maturity. Tadpoles usually measure 10-20mm and newly metamorphosed toads measure 10-15mm.

Description-The toad is a fairly large toad and is easily differentiable from other Anurans found in their habitat. The head is similar in structure to that of B.melanostictus, a narrow triangular-rounded head. The tip of the snout is rather blunt and the crown of the head is depressed, concave in shape with low blunt supraorbital ridges.The parotoids located behind the eye are elongated and robustly prominent. These parotids secrete a pungent milky white secretion when irritated. The eyelids are sharp and slightly pointed at the ends and distinct skill structure can be seen between the eyes and the nostrils.A small distinctly visible tympanum is present behind the eyes below the top of the parotids. A fold of leathery skin originates from the eye extending to the forelegs.The body is very leathery and warty.The sides of the abdomen dorsally are a bit rounded and bloated compared to dorsal mid back. The skin is very rough in texture with multiple multicolored granulation and warts. These warts can vary from light orange to deep orange to even reddish tones. The skin itself is a lighter greyish,light brown,yellowish in tone with black or brown shade patterns in females. Males are more darker in skin tone and are usually blackish brown, olive green or dark brown in color with more brightly toned granulation patterns. The underbelly is grayish and marbled with darker shades. Young toads are more brightly colored. The forelegs are robust and stout, muscular whereas the forelegs are longer and leaner. Each of the finger tips are black with rounded tips and venation is prominently visible in here when observed ventrally. The absence of cranial ridges and a much smaller tympanum are the two most prominent factors differentiating this species from B.melanostictus except coloration and other differences.
Distribution and Occurrence-The species very well spread in the Himalayas as it is found in a wide altitude range distributing between 1300m-2000m, which almost extends from the Siwalik range to the inner Himalayas. In India, they are found in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, Western and Southern Sikkim and most commonly in the Darjeeling district. In Nepal they are found in the Kaligandaki zone and Manang Valley.Specimens have also been found in Pakistan.

Habitat-During early spring when these toads emerge from hibernation, they often inhabit moist forested areas situated near water bodies. They are more terrestrial during this time in comparison to the rainy season as they avidly feed, quenching their winter hunger after a long hibernation period.These toads are found in almost all types of water bodies during the rainy season (their mating season) ranging from stagnant water pools to ponds, lakes and even river inlets. Larger water bodies lying in the zones of their occurrence are always inhabited by a healthy population of these toads. Greenish pools, which are often polluted, are usually where these toads can be spotted in mass numbers hence this species is often associated to these water pools in Darjeeling and are seen as filthy. When the water level reduces drastically, the toads migrate from thei pools to find other suitable water pools. This often happens during rainy humid nights.Sadly, the phenomenon also leads to mass death from road accidents, predation or human conflict. During late autumn, when the water pools are dry these toads enter a state of hibernation lasting throughout the winter until next spring. They often hibernate under large flat rocks or boulders,moist forest floorings, rotting logs or even construction sites for that matter.

Habits-Much about the behavioral pattern about these toads has not been studied. The toads are extremely endemic to certain areas only but are not necessarily a rare species and are rather common in that sense. During early springs this species is known to emerge from their hibernation state and are commonly spotted in terrestrial near vegetation water bodies. During this time,these toads feed voraciously on different Arthropods, worms or other such small prey. As early monsoon arrives,so does the onset of their mating season. Their mating season may begin during late March and last up till July. A low audacious call from the male can be heard during rainy nights. When a male encounters a female and begins to indulge in courtship, the female may carry the male for several days. The toads usually become dominantly aquatic during this time hence even when the female even leaves the water during sunny days ( usually seen around 10am-12 noon) for basking.Thermoregulation during mating seasons may be the reason behind this.The breeding pairs can be seen in large numbers clustered together. These toads exhibit a habit of clustering together forming small congregations around their habited pools. This can be seen almost throughout the year. After fertilization is done, the eggs are laid in large numbers following a single chain sequence. The tadpoles emerge between July and August. The tadpoles feed on different aquatic life but most of their nutrition comes from other dead bodies of aldut toads in the pools they inhabit. The exact reason behind these adult toad deaths during this season is uncertain. On the onset of late fall when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius, when the toad's aquatic home dries up, they tend to seek out shelter under dry forest foliage,logs,rocks and even urban wastelands. These toads are mostly found in large numbers with at least 5-10 toads inhabiting a single water pool,unless in their juvenile stages when they live a rage solitary life.

The Himalayan toad is probably one of the most important amphibian species inhabiting the Himalayas as toads and frogs are definitely one of the most well spread and efficient natural threat to pests. Toads also have very important roles in pharmaceutical research, toxicology and other such scientific fields as they are equipped with multiple toxins, secreted by their paratids or the skin warts. Toads are used also used for medication and medical tests and formerly for dissection. The Himalayan toad is a very important bio regulator as it voraciously feeds on all the insect pests posing a threat to plants. They are also an important bio regulator as they feed on disease carrying pests such as cockroaches while the tadpoles voraciously feed on mosquito larvae.This presumably small act can stabilize the ecosystem and also help with organic farming,cottage industries. The toad was also used by numerous institutes for dissection and other small scale research purposes in the past.
Although the toad may seem to be common,the once overwhelming population has definitely declined in the upcoming years. Habitat loss,water pollution and rapid urbanization are the major reasons for their declining population. In recent years, the water bodies inhabited by these toads have been definitely more polluted not by any industrial effluents but minute things such as plastic waste and other so termed “unnecessary trash”. It’s very astonishing and humiliating at the same time to see the decline of awareness even after reaching new levels of modernity. Other common reason is that toads have been associated to diseases and witch craft and humanity has had an age old stigma with Herpetofauna hence these toads are killed relentlessly at sight by people. Polluted water has caused numerous casualties to appear in these toads and is also affecting their mating patterns

. Although the toads may not seem to be exclusively rare at this point,it is an inevitable truth that at the rate of habitat loss they are facing due to simple reasons such as misconceptions and stigma related to their appearance,one day the Himalayan toad may be an endangered species. Due to the narrow spectrum of their spread,the Himalayan toad have very less choices for a habitat and relocation may not be a solution. If a species like this is eradicated from the ecosystem, not only the minor areas of organic agriculture and horticulture but also major areas such as spread of diseases and decline of other natural species and eventually the falter of the ecosystem itself is unavoidable. Protecting the Himalayan toad is no Herculean task as they don’t require much attention and maintenance. Basic awareness and education of the common public by eradicating stigma and shining light on the overall importance of this species could possibly be enough to protect this species. Even if few water bodies are left untouched and unpolluted,the population can drastically increase within a span of few years.