麻豆社

Unlike frogs, toads have long suffered from a bad press. Thomas Pennant, a Welsh naturalist described them as "The most deformed and hideous of all animals...its general appearance is such as to strike one with disgust and horror" in 1776, and Shakespeare didn't do much for their PR when he had the three witches toss the toads into the charmed pot in Macbeth. And whilst its true that Toads have glands which contain toxic substances which deter predators, they have also been viewed as evil spirits. Brett Westwood finds out why they have such a bad reputation.

First broadcast on Natural Histories, 25 October 2016.