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Marking Common Toads: |
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David Dodds Member Joined: 24 Jul 2004 No. of posts: 7  View other posts by David Dodds |
Posted: 24 Jul 2004 Hi This is probably old hat to most people here, but I wonder if anyone can suggest a simple/harmless way of marking toads for a few days? I spend a lot of time with a project studying bats on the Union Canal near Edinburgh and see a lot of common toads after dark, emerging from the stone retaining wall alongside the canal towpath. I'm more than a little intrigued by them and I fancy a little side project looking at their population/movement over a few nights. The only references I've found are to clipping toenails, which I'm wary of and waterproof stomach bands (toad in a cummerbund?). Any suggestions? Regards, David Dodds |
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Colin Dunlop Member Joined: 15 Mar 2004 No. of posts: 20 View other posts by Colin Dunlop |
Posted: 25 Jul 2004 Hi david, I had a look at the Herpetological workers manual for you and there isnt any mention of short term marking and i believe that toe clipping would require a licence? But that aside, would it be possible to use a digital camera to take dorsal pics of them? Their markings would hopefully tell them apart, although its more commonly used for newts ventral surfaces...
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David Dodds Member Joined: 24 Jul 2004 No. of posts: 7 View other posts by David Dodds |
Posted: 25 Jul 2004 Thanks Colin, That's an intriguing proposition. I wasn't seriously considering nail-clipping - that sort of technique needs skill/experience. I had thought about some sort of paint mark, but wasn't sure:- 1) The right type of paint to avoid harm to the toad 2) Whether toad skin is porous enough for even non-toxic paint to be harmful 3) Whether paint would actually STICK to toad skin! If it's possible to identify toads from a dorsal pic that would make a very easy/non-intrusive technique - I'll give it a try. David |
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David Bird Forum Specialist Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 515 View other posts by David Bird |
Posted: 27 Jul 2004 I have used small paper discs with numbers on that you can get in stationers and superglued them on the back of the head of the toad. This does seem to work and was I thought a standard method. Before anyone starts going on about superglue toxicity it is commonly used in veterinary surgery to close wounds. British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker. |
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Colin Dunlop Member Joined: 15 Mar 2004 No. of posts: 20 View other posts by Colin Dunlop |
Posted: 27 Jul 2004 Hi David I have commonly used superglue in reef aquariums to attach corals to rocks etc with no adverse effects. How long does the superglue mark stay on for and is it sloughed off when the toad shed skin? |
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David Bird Forum Specialist Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 515 View other posts by David Bird |
Posted: 27 Jul 2004 I have only used them for tracking toads to a breeding pond so 1 week was the length of time I followed and trapped them. I would expect the discs to fall of when the toad sheds its skin so if they shed the day after you have put them on this could cause a problem. I am not certain how often they do shed but some other member may know or have time to look it up. British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker. |
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Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 27 Jul 2004 I actually used superglue to glue a crown back on. Both my front teeth are crowns and the dentist suggested I glued it back as a temporary measure until my appointment came up . It worked really well :¼) Al O-> O+> |
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David Dodds Member Joined: 24 Jul 2004 No. of posts: 7 View other posts by David Dodds |
Posted: 27 Jul 2004 Thanks Colin & David (Alan I hope you're tooth's back to normal!) superglued discs seems a more viable approach for a simple survey, between taping bat ultrasound! Here's a supplementary question: what's the best simple indicator of age in toads (apart from killing it, slicing it's bones and counting the rings, which is maybe a little too disruptive!) Body length, weight or ??? Regards, David |
- Marking Common Toads |