Wechselkröte
A study published in 2012 examined the phylogenetic relationships between the Eurasian and North African species in the "Bufo bufo" group and indicated a long evolutionary history for the group. Nine to thirteen million years ago, "Bufo eichwaldi", a recently described species from south Azerbaijan and Iran, split from the main lineage. Further divisions occurred with "Bufo spinosus" splitting off about five million years ago when the Pyrenees were being uplifted, an event which isolated the populations in the Iberian Peninsula from those in the rest of Europe. The remaining European lineage split into "Bufo bufo" and "Bufo verrucosissimus" less than three million years ago during the Pleistocene. Very occasionally the common toad hybridizes with the natterjack toad ("Bufo calamita") or the European green toad ("Bufo viridis").