Familiar Japanese toad from a folk tale

The Japanese toad walking proudly with a stubby body. Because they are large, they rarely jump up and down and walk slowly. We can often see them in the city.
Because they are poisonous and have few natural enemies, they do not seem surprised when we are approaching closely. Their typical natural enemy, the Tiger Keelback (snake), swallows poisonous toads whole, but surprisingly it seems that they store the toad's venom in their necks and use it to protect themselves.

The story that the oil from the backs of toads is a medicine for wounds is very famous in Japan, and in the old days there were merchants who sold oil from toads. Now you can see shows selling toads oil in some areas such as Mt. Tsukuba. However, in reality, the toad's body is poisonous, so it is thought that horse oil was used for sale. In addition, the ninja Jiraiya is famous for using toads, and he is popular even today as the subject of Kabuki and Manga. And the relationship between slugs, snakes, and toads called "Sansukumi" appears in the story of Jiraiya, created in the Edo period.

Around February 19th, toads begin to wake up from hibernation. The toads in the photo woke up just as the term, and they walked towards the nearby pond where they were born and raised.