A Fascinating Story of Exploding Toads and Clever Crows

In April 2005, a small pond in Hamburg, Germany became the center of a great mystery, rather
repulsive in nature. A documentary film made on the phenomenon reported:
About 1,000 dead toads were discovered lying around the edges. Their bodies appeared to have
exploded. Eye-witnesses said they swelled up to about three-and-a-half times their normal size
and then simply burst. And they burst with such an explosive force that their entrails were blown
over several square meters.
For several weeks, the common European toads in question received international attention.
Scientists were totally baffled, unable to provide an explanation for the unnatural deaths. Health
officials panicked they suspected a virus spread by South American race horses from a nearby
track. The tabloid press had a field day with the story, labelling the area The Pond of Death.
Things got worse when the epidemic spread across the border to a nearby Danish lake.

All the speculation was finally put to rest when Frank Mutschmann, one of Germanys top
experts on amphibians, cracked the case. And the explanation was even more shocking than the
toads violent deaths. The massacre was, apparently, the work of a highly intelligent species of
crows.
Frank examined both living and dead specimens of the Hamburg toads. What he found was truly
chilling identical circular incisions on their backs, just the size of a birds beak. He also figured
out that all the amphibians had their livers missing.

There were no bite or scratch marks, so we knew the toads werent being attacked by a raccoon
or a rat, which would have also eaten the entire toad, Frank said. It was clearly the work of
crows, which are clever enough to know the toads skin is toxic and realize the liver is the only
part worth eating.
Only once the liver is gone does the toad realize its being attacked. It puffs itself up as a natural
defence mechanism. But since it doesnt have a diaphragm or ribs, without the liver there is
nothing to hold the rest of its organs in. The lungs stretch out of all proportion and rip; the rest of
the organs simply expel themselves.

According to the documentary, No one knows how they (the crows) learned where the liver was
located. But we do know that toads skin is so poisonous that many animals can have a fatal
reaction to it. But, the liver is so nutritious, its worth working out how to extract it safely. And
thats exactly what the clever crows did.

One of the worlds earliest cases of exploding toads was recorded in Germany in 1968. Similar
cases have been observed in Belgium, Denmark and the US. But no other case was as gruesome
or grisly as the Hamburg incident. Incidentally, it happened during the toads mating season.
They would have noticed something as the crow pecked at them, but it wouldnt have been
particularly painful, said Frank.

Toads are very much loved by the Germans. In fact, they are a protected species over there.
Frank said he had several angry e-mails from concerned citizens. But theres no reason to worry
Its just a part of nature, he added