Toad Awakens from Winter Hibernation... Mangwolji, a Large Habitat in Daegu, Begins Moving for Spawning

On the afternoon of the 14th at around 5:30 PM, a pair of male and female toads in amplexus were found moving to spawn at Mangwolji in Suseong-gu, Daegu, known as a collective spawning site for toads. As night fell, hundreds of toads moved on a large scale.

Toads that had been hibernating were awakened by the sound of spring rain and were captured moving to Mangwolji to spawn.

A pair of male and female toads moving from Uksusan in Suseong-gu, Daegu City to Mangwolji, 500 meters away, for spawning.

This year, the large-scale migration period of toads was about half a month earlier compared to last year. This is presumed to be due to higher temperatures on the first day of appearance compared to previous years and the occurrence of rain.

The Mangwolji area annually presents a spectacular scene where about 1,000 adult toads migrate from Uksusan to Mangwolji to spawn, and the successfully hatched young toads then migrate back en masse to their mountain habitat.

An official from Suseong-gu, Daegu, stated, “Every year around this time, adult toads descend 500 meters to 2 kilometers from Uksusan to lay eggs at Mangwolji, then return to the mountain about two weeks later. The eggs hatch at Mangwolji, and by around May each year, the young toads climb back up to Uksusan. The following February, adult toads descend again to Mangwolji to lay eggs, repeating the cycle.”

A pair of male and female toads moving from Uksusan in Suseong-gu to Mangwolji for spawning.

The Suseong-gu Office in Daegu said, “Following the installation of a toad roadkill prevention fence on the 6th, we are monitoring toad movements through CCTV,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to protect toads so that the young toads raised at Mangwolji can safely return.”