Big Fire Toad: A toad that won't give you warts, but will give you a burn! Why is the amphibian in the hillocks respected throughout China? (7 photos)

Remember how, as children, we were told that we should not touch toads because they would cause warts on our hands? So, tell me, who was touched by a large toad and ended up looking like an overcooked cheburek? In appearance, it is almost no different from an ordinary gray-green toad, only the huge number of raised tubercles throughout its body makes it look like a golem.





This miracle-yudo lives only in China, and not just anywhere, but high, high in the mountains, for example, in the Himalayas. You can meet them at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level and up to 3000 meters.



In Latin our heroine is called Bombina maxima. And this species is called big for a reason: it is the largest among all fire toads - up to 7.5 centimeters in length. Humanity did not know about their existence until 1905, when this wonderful specimen from the Middle Kingdom fell into the hands of European scientists.





For comparison: on the left is an ordinary toad, on the right is a large one.

Surely everyone has at least once seen a golden Chinese toad in a friend’s apartment, which you need to rub in order to become rich. So, if you rub this Chinese toad, you won’t get tokens. And warts too. But the burn is like hello.



Those same tubercles on the body contain a toxic poison that causes the breakdown of red blood cells. The desire to “squeeze the butt” can result in damage to the mucous membrane, chills and headache. However, the increased toxicity of the bombina does not stop all kinds of snakes, hedgehogs, herons and various muskrats with minks: for them, the amphibian is almost like chips. The poison does not stop the Chinese, who use it in folk medicine.



In general, despite its creepy appearance, the Chinese toad is respected in its homeland. She is a frequent hero of fairy tales and instructive fables, in which she plays the role of a witty and brave hero. She solves all her problems with the help of cunning. Either the toad makes the tiger run away from her in fear, or she makes fools of the gods - she doesn’t care!



Perhaps the toad has earned such respect for its manner of meeting danger: unlike many animals, it does not try to escape from the enemy by flight. The toad flops down on its back in front of the predator and shows its red belly. So she sends an unambiguous signal: “don’t eat, think about it!” I'm poisonous."



Because of the color of its abdomen, in China it is customary to call the large toad purple, and if a person is distinguished by courage, cunning and ingenuity, they say about him - “he has the liver of a purple toad.” It’s not clear what the liver has to do with it, but you understand the approximate meaning of the phraseological unit. Therefore, if you are ever in China and they call you a “toad,” do not rush to attack people with your fists: perhaps it was a very respectful compliment.