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RSPB Spotlight: Frogs and Toads is packed with eye-catching, informative colour photos, and features succinct and detailed text written by an expert on these amphibians.They were bestowed with magical properties in folklore, they were sought after as ingredients of witches'broth, and they are comic characters that have invaded popular culture, from Kermit the Frog to Toad of Toad Hall. Frogs and toads are charismatic members of Britain's wildlife. But what do you really know about them?Scratch beneath the surface, and you will discover some of nature's weirdest creatures, amphibians whose ecology we are only now coming to understand. Spotlight Frogs and Toads is a compelling account of Britain's four native amphibian species: the Common Frog, the Pool Frog, the Common Toad and the rare and secretive Natterjack Toad. New research suggests that, in the next ten years, three out of four UK species are likely to be listed as threatened. Revealing a host of secrets, including how they migrate, what they eat, and how they got to the UK in the first place, Jules Howard inspires us all to look down, rather than up, in spring.The Spotlight series introduces readers to the lives and behaviour of our favourite animals with eye-catching colour photographs and informative expert text.

The story of an expedition in search of the world's rarest and most exotic amphibians. On August 9, 2010, 33 teams from 21 countries were dispatched to search for the Lost Frogs identified by Conservation International. On their list were a host of species including, in the top ten most wanted, the Rio Pescado Stubfoot Toad, found only in Ecuador - which was to prove a triumphant rediscovery. Several months, a number of key rediscoveries - such as the Elegant Tropical Frog, last seen in 1937 and the Chalazodes Bubble-nest Frog - last seen in 1874 and two new species later, the Search for Lost Frogs had generated more than 650 news articles in 20 countries and over a billion potential viewers. Author Robin Moore was responsible for spearheading the Search for Lost Frogs and coordinating the teams. He also co-led two expeditions to Colombia and Haiti. In Colombia in search of the Mesopotamia Beaked Toad, the steamy jungles of the Choco yielded not the desired species but a brand new one - the Mr. Burns Toad, so-called because of an uncanny resemblance to the Simpsons'character; the species was selected as one of Time magazine's top ten new species of 2010. In Haiti the team found six frogs last seen 20 years before, including the Ventriloqual Frog, named for its ability to throw its voice. This fascinating new book tells the story of the expedition - its highs and lows, discoveries and failures and the campaign's ongoing work. Despite the campaign, one third of the world's amphibians remain threatened with extinction. Most of the species searched for were not found. But those that were provide a glimmer of hope. Understanding why these species have survived when many others have not should help us understand what makes these species different. In Search of Lost Frogs is a story of perseverance, disappointment, rediscovery, resilience, but ultimately of hope, written with passion and illustrated with the author's superb photographs.