The Natterjack Toad is also known as the ‘runner toad’ because it tends to run more than it hops. It is a very rare and protected species that can be found on lowland heathlands in East Anglia, Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey and Staffordshire, as well as on coastal dunes in the north-east. These areas have loose sandy soil which the Natterjack Toad prefers as it often burrows under the sand to hide during the day.

The Natterjack Toad is normally a yellow-brown or a green-brown colour, but it can be other colours because this toad can change its body colour depending where it lives. Its body is covered in lots of tiny wart-like bumps. The bumps contain a poisonous substance which helps to keep many predators away. The Natterjack Toad also has a yellow stripe down its back. The underside is normally creamy white and its eyes are a yellowy green colour.

Natterjack Toads first start their lives as little black tadpoles which look like tiny fish with long tails and gills. As the tadpoles develop they grow legs and eventually lose their tails. When this happens, they are no longer tadpoles, but tiny toads. These tiny toads are called ‘toadlets’ and they are able to leave the water to go onto land where they hide under the sand.