Jersey spawns new species

Friday 10 October 2014

Conservationists have discovered that the famous "Crapaud" is not such a common toad after all – they are a species unique to Jersey and will need special protection to make sure they are still hopping around the Island for years to come.

None of the other Channel Islands have them and conservationists from Jersey and the UK have been working with scientists in the Netherlands and Portugal and found that the Island's toads are different from those in England.

Dr John Wilkinson carried out his PhD research on Jersey toads and now works as Science Programme Manager for UK charity Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. He said: "We always suspected there was something special about the toads of Jersey. They grow larger, breed earlier and use different habitats than English toads. Now we know they are a new species, we can ensure efforts for their conservation are directed to their specific needs."

The Environment department have been working with Durrell for a number of years to protect the "Crapaud" and have been monitoring populations through their Jersey Toadwatch campaign. They've found that most toad breeding populations are in the west or south of the Island mainly in small, privately-owned garden sites with only a few spawning females.

The toads will need tailored conservation to make sure they continue to thrive and conservationists are on hand to help advise people on how they can encourage toads into their gardens.

The new British species was revealed in a paper published in this month's edition of The Herpetological Journal, published by the British Herpetological Society and was presented by Dr Wilkinson at this week's Biodiversity Conference at Durrell.

The Environment department's Principal Ecologist John Pinel said: "Conservation of biodiversity in Jersey has always had a high priority; this news will help ensure that toads continue to receive the positive action they deserve."