Many people do not even suspect that the words “toad” and “frog” are not synonyms, but mean two different animals. Although there are similarities between them, too, a considerable one. After all, these are still relatives - amphibians, that is, amphibians. They originated in one era, in Devon, approximately 385 million years ago. Then conditions appeared on our planet for living things to come out of the water to the land and begin to master it. So there were amphibians, the Anura squad. They spend their infancy and childhood in water, and then live on land. After all, the gills of the tadpole give way to the lungs of an adult animal over time. But what is the difference between a toad and a frog? Let's study this question.
Difference in appearance
Both toads and frogs belong to cold-blooded vertebrates. Anura, the name of the unit, is translated from Greek as "tailless." Thus, it is indicated that in adults, that part of the body that is present in tadpoles disappears. In general, this detachment includes more than 5,250 species of toads and frogs. Some of them connect the features of two animals. But scientists classify and such species, which are called "true toads" and "true frogs." This is a kind of benchmark for distinguishing between two animals. The first thing that distinguishes a toad from a frog is a more squat body and a short head. She does not jump, but clumsily moves with all four legs, while the frog is repelled by the hind legs. The toad has dry, tuberous skin. The frog is always wet to the touch. This is due to the fact that, along with the nasal opening, it can breathe and the skin. In general, frogs in appearance are more graceful, dexterous, with an elongated silhouette. Some toads disdain to pick up: they are too warty.
Habitat difference
Let's see where they live. In this sense, it is easy to determine how the toad differs from the frog. The latter always needs a pond. Despite the fact that the frogs crawl to the ground, they do not go far from the pond or the quiet backwaters of the river. Toads are found in forests, fields, meadows, steppes and even deserts. During the breeding season, they travel a long way - sometimes several kilometers, to get to the reservoir and lay eggs there. But in ordinary life, toads live in minks that dig in the ground. There they hibernate. And even in water bodies, frogs and toads behave differently. The first, sprawled on the belly, lie in the water or at its very edge. And the toads sit hiding on the shore. However, there are tree frogs. Thanks to the suction cups on their fingers, they can expertly crawl through the trees.
Nutrition Difference
Another difference between a toad and a frog is a way of life. The green inhabitants of the ponds and lakes are most active during the day. In the evening they arrange a loud “roll call”, and then fall asleep. Toads go hunting in the evening. Fumbling in the grass, they look for insects, slugs, butterflies there. People should be grateful to the toads at least for the fact that they absorb mosquitoes in large quantities. Both toads and frogs hunt the same way - with the help of a long tongue, sticky on the tip. The prey capture movement is so lightning fast that the human eye is not able to catch it. A moment - and the toad again sits still. By the way, these amphibians even eat those caterpillars and bugs with which the birds abhor. Therefore, they can be called real helpers gardener-gardener. But the toad, unlike the frog, has no teeth at all. Yes, and the latter they are useless - they are located only on the upper jaw.
The difference between a toad and a frog is in the method of reproduction
Of course, the vast majority of amphibians reproduce by laying eggs. To do this, they need water. But egg clutches in toads and frogs are different in appearance. If you see a jelly-like bubble mass on the surface of the pond, be sure that frogs have laid this eggs. Toads lay eggs like a cord. They wind its end onto algae. Sometimes it seems that this branch of an underwater plant sways with the flow. So toads save their future offspring from fish. And some species even do this: the female lays her eggs with a cord that wraps on her husband’s foot. He sits in an earthen hole and waits for the hour when the tadpoles should hatch. Only then does he move to the pond. And the species of toads that lives in Latin America carries masonry in special cavities filled with liquid on its back. And one more difference between a toad and a frog: the first has special parotid glands in the back of the skull - parotids. There, the animal accumulates poison, making it tasteless for predators.
The similarity of frogs and toads
These features, related two animals, a lot. They belong to the category of cold-blooded animals, amphibians. They live both on land and in water. They have membranes on their feet. Both those and others lay eggs from which tadpoles are born. Young growth is practically indistinguishable from each other. Only when the tail falls off the tadpoles and paws grow, do the young frogs leave the pond and rush into the depths of the forest, while the frogs remain near the lake. The period of development of eggs and the duration of childhood also coincide. But the statement that earthy coloring is the main difference between a toad and a frog is incorrect. The colors of these animals can be completely different. Toads are found in the tropics of a very bright color, although in our latitudes they are indeed brownish-gray or olive in color.
Myths about toads and frogs
There are many wrong signs that tell how the toad differs from a frog. For example, that the first is much larger than the second. It is not true. There are very large frogs. For example, Goliath, found in West Africa, weighs about three kilograms and reaches a length of 90 centimeters.
It is also untrue to claim that the toads are poisonous, while the frogs are completely harmless. It depends on the species. For example, the toad aha and the frog Kokoi are able to kill a person with one touch. But our toads in their glands produce secretion of bufotein, which causes profuse salivation in animals that have tried to bite amphibians, but not harmful to human health.