# How Long Do Common Toads Live?

> Common Toad lifespan is typically 10–12 years in the wild. What shortens or extends life, life stages, and status (Least Concern).

- **Species:** Common Toad (*Bufo bufo*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore (insects, worms, slugs)
- **Habitat:** Woodland, grassland, and gardens near ponds
- **Lifespan:** 10–12 years in the wild
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/common-toad/how-long-do-common-toad-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/common-toad/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The common toad (Bufo bufo) is a stout, warty-skinned amphibian found across Europe, including throughout Britain. It lives in woodland, grassland, and gardens, sheltering by day and hunting insects, worms, and slugs by night, moving with a slow crawl or short hops rather than the long leaps of a frog. Adults reach 8 to 13 cm long and weigh 20 to 80 g, and they can live 10 to 12 years in the wild.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a prognosis for one named animal. This page is a species lifespan range.

## How to recognise a common toad

The common toad has dry, warty skin in shades of brown, olive, and grey, quite unlike the smooth, moist skin of a frog. It sits in a hunched posture with a broad head, copper-coloured eyes with horizontal pupils, and short legs. Behind each eye sits a swollen parotoid gland that produces a bitter, mildly toxic secretion to deter predators. Rather than leaping, it usually crawls or makes small hops, which is one of the easiest ways to tell it from a frog.

## Help protect the Common Toad

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/common-toad/how-long-do-common-toad-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.