The common Indian toad belongs to the family of true toads, Bufonidae. Distinguishing characteristics of the family include lack of teeth, lots of warts, and a pair of parotoid glands behind the eyes that secrete toxins. These toads are common in drainage ditches in rural and urban areas throughout the Indian subcontinent, and in Southeast Asia. During the day, these toads hide at the base of tree trunks, under stones, and boulders. They often come out at night to feed on insects swarming under streetlamps.
The common Indian toad is a big toad- around 165 mm in length. It is brown or yellowish brown in colour and its body has a lot of warts on the upper surface. Males in this species are bright yellow in colour, and much smaller in size in comparison with females. These toads eat an assortment of invertebrates-beetles, crickets, grass-hoppers and earthworms, to name a few. They are clever hunters, well aware of the precariousness of food supply, and hence, will rarely pass up the chance for a heavy meal. They are useful to us in that they eat a lot of the insects that we consider a nuisance!