Meet Our Animals

Fire Bellied Toads

Bombina orientalis and Bombina bombina

Name and Personal History:
All of our Fire Bellied Toads are named after peppers. We have 10 adults and 6 newly morphed toads including Jalapeno, Hidalgo, Habanero, Bell, Cayenne, Pablano, Ancho, Scotch Bonnet, Pimento, and Chipotle. These toads were donated to us by previous students or members of the public.

Native Habitat:
These toads range throughout China, Korea, and Russia.

Environment:
Fire Bellied Toads like to inhabit cool water either in ponds or slow flowing streams, most often in the mountains. They spend as much of their time in the water as out of it.

Physical Characteristics:
These toads are usually green or dark brown in color with brightly colored red or yellow and black bellies. They are neither a "tree" frog nor a toad but instead belong to a small group of amphibians called Discoglossidae, which means "disc shaped tongue." They are most like a toad in appearance with their bumpy skin but they spend more time in the water than any of the "true" toads do.

Diet:
As tadpoles they eat algae and as adults they are primarily insectivores. They also like to eat "blood" or "tubifex" worms. These are small communal worms that live in clumps in the mud on the stream or pond floor.