| Midwife Toad |
| Wild Mallorca |
 Midwife toads (Alytes) are a genus of frogs in the Discoglossidae family, and are found in most of Europe and northwestern Africa. Characteristic of these toad-like frogs is their parental care: the males carry a string of fertilised eggs on their back, hence the name "midwife". The female expels a strand of eggs, which the male fertilizes externally. He then wraps them around his legs to protect them from predators in the water. When they are ready to hatch, the male wades into shallow water, where he allows the tadpoles to leap out of their eggs. Five separate species of midwife toad are found across western Europe, northern Africa, and Majorca (Mallorca). The Majorcan Midwife Toad (also Mallorcan Midwife Toad or Ferreret in Balearic Catalan and Spanish) is an Amphibian of the order Anura and in the family Discoglossidae. It is exclusively endemic to the Balearic Island of Majorca in the Mediterranean Sea. Until 1977 the species was believed to have become extinct, however its consequent discovery meant that the species could be described as a Living Fossil. The decline of wild populations to a total of about 500 breeding pairs, was caused primarily by the introduction of non-native species to the island hundreds of years ago. Two species in particular being the Green Frog and the Viperine Snake. Reintroduction of the species has taken place since 1988, with many breeding populations now well established in some areas. The species is endemic to Majorca, and is found only in the mountainous regions and Gorges of the Sierra de Tramuntana. In this area, the species inhabits streams in limestone caverns, where they hide under boulders and stones, fitting snugly into gullies with vertical walls. It measures 4 centimetres in length and weighing 5 grams, it has a developed head, a well-designed body, its skin has a pale background and it has dark spots on its back. It hides during the day, resting by the water and at night it comes out looking for food. It eats small insects and animals living beneath the stones or other animals and plants that fall into rainwater puddles. Of course like all small creatures it has predators and its most common on the island are snakes, large frogs and martens but its primary enemy is lack of water, sometimes due to natural causes or to changes made to water courses i.e. the construction of dams and pipelines within its habitat. This cute creature is now the rarest amphibian in Europe and considered to be in danger of extinction. In 1991 the Government of the Balearic Islands, supported by the European Union, introduced a rescue plan through the LIFE programme in order to ensure the survival of this species and to increase its numbers. |
