about to hatch, he detaches them in a calm stretch of water like a ditch, village pond, spring or drinking trough. There is evidence that suggests that this may include temporary water bodies, such as those found within flowerpot saucers in urban gardens. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, which feed and grow over the course of several months, develop limbs, lose their tails and eventually undergo metamorphosis into juvenile toads. They may overwinter as tadpoles, becoming exceptionally large in the process. Diet Common midwife toads feed mostly on insects and other arthropods, as well as carrion. Role in history of biology, sociology of science The 1971 book by Arthur Koestler The Case of the Midwife Toad, brought the species a role in new thinking on the development of scientific paradigms based on the case of Paul Kammerer who claimed to have shown Lamarckian inheritance in experiments with the toad. References External links Sound recordings of Common midwife toad at BioAcoustica Alytes Amphibians described in 1768 Amphibians of Europe Articles containing video clips Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti