The Amphibians and Reptiles
David Scott
The native amphibians and reptiles are well represented in the Forest although over the years changes
in management have caused variation in the numbers of some species. There is also an interesting
saga of introductions of foreign species, either accidentally released or by deliberate attempts at
naturalisation. However, none of these imported animals appear to have ever bred successfully enough
to maintain established populations.
Of the indigenous species, the Common Toad (Bufo bufo) is probably the most common amphibian,
occurring throughout the Forest. This toad prefers the deeper ponds in which to spawn - Baldwins
and Wake Valley Ponds with the adjacent bomb craters are typical sites. Migrations to the water to
spawn occur usually in the third week of March and road deaths mark the crossing places at this
season, especially at Wake Valley pond. Other sites include Fairmead and Blackweir ponds and the
lake in Knighton Wood at Buckhurst Hill. The Common Frog (Rana temporaria) has become less
common over the last hundred years. This animal prefers shallow water in which to spawn and modern
drainage in some areas has prevented the flooded land being available. The frog, of course, breeds in
Forest ponds, but in the shallow areas only and also needs more sunny, open positions than do the
toads. Some good sites to see Common Frogs spawning are the Conservation Centre pond, Fairmead,
Baldwins. Blackweir and Wake Valley Ponds.
The Forest ponds are rich in newts and contain all three native species (Fig. 1). The most numerous
is the Palmate Newt (Triturus helveticus), occurring in all the ponds mentioned, and also Strawberry
Hill Pond. This newt is said to prefer the gravel ponds and in the Forest these mainly occur on the
Fig. 1 Three species of newt are present in the Forest ponds. From top to bottom, Common (Tritrus
vulgaris), Crested (Triturus cristatus) and Palmate (Triturus helveticus). (MH).
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