The distribution area is concentrated in Eastern and Central Europe; North-West, it ranges up to southern Sweden, Denmark, in the South to Bulgaria. "Fire-bellied" is derived from the brightly coloured red- or yellow-and-black patterns on the toads' ventral regions, which act as aposematic coloration, a warning to predators of the toads' reputedly foul taste. The other parts of the toads' skins are green or dark brown. If attacked by a vertebrate on land the European fire-bellied toad makes a hollow-back and lifts its four legs so that the ventral warning colour is displayed. The combination of dark and red is a learned signal meaning “attention poison” to the enemy.