difference between toad and frog

Author: Laura McKinney
Date Of Creation: 10 August 2021
Update Date: 13 November 2024
Anonim
Frogs and Toads: What’s the Difference?
Video: Frogs and Toads: What’s the Difference?

Content

The differences between frog and toad have no taxonomic value, since both frogs and toads belong to the same order, that of frogs. The words frog and toad are used colloquially to refer to tailless amphibians with a light and graceful appearance, such as frogs, against more robust and clumsy animals such as toads.

However, many frogs are considered to be toads and vice versa. Therefore, in this article by PeritoAnimal, we will see what are the differences between toads and frogs, the characteristics that define them and some examples. Let's start!

Origin of amphibians

Possible ancestors of amphibians would be fish from the group panderichthys, who lived in the Devonian. They were lung fish and were grouped into two groups:


1. Batrachomorphs

Which diverged into the three current amphibian groups:

  • Anurans: tailless amphibians in their adult stage, frogs and toads.
  • Urodels: tailed amphibians, salamanders and newts.
  • Apodos: legless amphibians such as caecilians.

2. Reptylomorphs

Which gave rise to the first reptiles.

Anurans inhabit all continents, with the exception of Antarctica and desert or polar regions.

frog characteristics

Frogs are animals that are closely linked to water or very humid environments. They have glands of ectodermal origin throughout the body that, in some cases, have evolved to glandspoisonous, like the parotid glands, behind the eyes. These glands do not act by contact, only if the animal is bitten. many frogs have glandsadhesives in the projections of your fingers, which are used to climb trees.


Generally, frogs have a smooth and always moist skin, no lumps, although there are some exceptions. They are jumping animals, climbers or both. Its limbs are long and thin, and the body is not very robust.

Don't miss our article on feeding frog tadpoles!

frog characteristics

Frogs are less attached to water than frogs because their skin is better protected by the presence of hundreds of warts that give them a robust appearance. They can also live in lakes and ponds, but tend to prefer muddier areas, being able to build tunnels under the ground to protect itself from drying out.


Also, frogs can have calluses, which are horny bumps on the hind legs and serve to fix more when they fall in a heel or to hold the female during sexual intercourse. Frogs, on the other hand, are more runners than jumpers. They usually walk on their four legs instead of moving using jumps.

difference between toad and frog

Although it seems easy to differentiate a frog from a toad, we can make mistakes as there are many exceptions because, as we said, the terms frog and toad are merely for colloquial use. Even so, we can say that the most decisive differences between toad and frog are:

  • Skin: Frogs' skin tends to be smooth, smooth and very moist. Frog skin, on the other hand, is rough and dry.
  • Locomotion: frogs are generally jumping animals, very agile, fast swimmers and, in many cases, arboreal. Frogs are running animals that can jump but prefer to move around on their four legs. They can also dig with their hind legs.
  • Appearance: One of the main differences is that frogs tend to be robust animals, strong looking, very muscular. In contrast, frogs are thinner and slender, although that doesn't mean they don't have the strength and power to move quickly.
  • Habitat: Finally, there are also differences in the type of habitat that frogs and toads choose to live in. Frogs are more aquatic, and their skin dries quickly without the presence of water. Frogs are more terrestrial animals, maintain greater control of the water in their bodies and only need a little moisture, which they can find in the soil, to survive.

frog species

Most types of frogs are poison frogs, and give off a strange smell, although they are generally harmless to humans. The problem arises when a wild animal, a cat or a dog bites a frog, because at that moment it secretes toxins which, in contact with the mucosa of the mouth, cause irritation, causing the animal to quickly release the frog. Some examples of frogs are:

  • Common midwife toad (obstetrics alytes)
  • Common toad (snort snort)
  • Black nail frog (Cultripes)
  • Fire belly toad (orientalis bombina)
  • Green frog (Snorkel Viridis)
  • Midwife toad (obstetrics alytes)
  • American toad (snort americanus)
  • Giant frog (Owl marinus)
  • bull frog (Lithobates catesbeianus)​; it is a frog, although it is called a frog.
  • Runner Toad (calamita snort)

frog species

Unlike toads, frogs are not always poisonous, and there are even species that serve as food for the human being, like the edible frog (Pelophylax esculentus). On the other hand, some species of frogs are among the most poisonous animal species in the world, and are the frogs belonging to the Dendrobatidae family, among them we find:

  • Golden frog (Phyllobates terribilis)
  • Blue bull frog (Azureus dendrobates)
  • Poison dart frog (Dendrobates tinctorius)
  • Two-colored poison frog (Bicolor Phyllobates)

Other frog species are:

  • Green frog (European Lesson)
  • Swamp frog (Pelophylax ridibundus)
  • Field frog (Rana arvalis)
  • Common frog (Pelophylax perezi)
  • White tree frog (caerulean coast)