This is a small toad, rarely exceeding 5cm in length.  It has an unusual mode of reproduction; the male carries strings of eggs wrapped around its hind legs.  Midwife toads can be difficult to find as, by day they hide away in dark, damp crevices, under large stones or pieces of timber etc.  The easiest way to detect and identify this alien is by its distinctive call which sounds like an electronic 'bleep'.  Midwife toads call on warm evenings from May to September, peaking in July or August.

Midwife toads can breed successfully in the UK and a population has been living in Bedford for over 100 years.  They do not seem to travel far - at least under their own steam.  Most known populations are still confined to the Bedford area, but occasionally midwife toads pop up elsewhere presumably as a result of being moved by people.

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