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| THE BARKING TOAD In 1965, during excavations made by the Hartlepool water works in Durham, a block of limestone was split apart by a worker�s pickaxe to reveal a living toad which, upon contact with the air, began jumping about excitedly. The cavity from which it had emerged was no larger than its body, so that the toad appeared to have been cast from a mould. A local geologist expressed the opinion that it was at least 6,000 years old. With eyes that were unusually bright, and skin which turned form pale to dark olive within 10 minutes of its liberation, the amphibian further startled inquisitive workmen by producing a barking noise whenever it was prodded with a stick. On closer examination it was discovered that the toad had no mouth at all and that the curious barking sound emanated from the creature�s nostrils. |
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