I’m often asked, “What’s the difference between a frog and a toad? Frogs vs toads… Aren’t they both the same?” The short answer is, “No. They aren’t the same. Similar, yes. But not the same.” The longer explanation is described below. Both frogs and toads are members of the order Anura (without tail). So they are both called Anurans. But the differences soon reveal themselves, upon closer examination. With 7,521 species of frogs and toads, to date, there are plenty to choose from. The differentiation between toads and frogs is informal and not from taxonomy or evolutionary history. Now get ready to learn about the similarities and differences between these amphibians.

Frogs

1.) Frogs split from other amphibians as far back as the Permian period, 265 million years ago.

2.) They range from the tropics to subarctic regions. The largest concentration of frogs can be found in tropical rainforests.

3.) These critters account for up to 88%+ of the extant amphibian species, known to date.

4.) The frog is 1 of the 5 most diverse vertebrate orders known.

5.) Frogs typically have a plenitudinous body, long tongue, protruding eyes, limbs that usually fold underneath their body, and no tail (sans the tailed frogs. Of which there are 2 species in the genus Ascaphus, from the taxon in the family Ascaphidae).

5.) Their skin ranges from mildly distasteful to lethally toxic. For instance, the dart frogs, of Central and South America, can be so toxic that just a pin prick of poison is 200 times as powerful as morphine, and is strong enough to kill up to 20 humans.

6.) Further more, their skin colors can range from greys, greens, and browns, to vibrant, multicolored varieties (aposematic coloration – coloration that warns of toxicity).

7.) While they all live near fresh water, some are terrestrial (live on the ground), and others have evolved to live underground (fossorial) and some even live in trees (arboreal).

8.) Eggs are typically laid in or above a water source.

9.) Tadpoles hatch from the slimy eggs masses, called frog spawn, and either begin swimming immediately or drop into the water from above and begin their life as a tadpole.

10.) Adult frogs are almost always carnivorous (eat animal matter), but there are some species that are omnivorous (eat plant and animal matter) and even fewer species that are herbivorous (eat plant matter).

11.) They are not only an important food source for a variety of predators, but part of the food web dynamic of many of the world’s ecosystems.

12.) A frog’s skin is semi-permeable (allows certain ions to pass through it via osmosis). This makes frogs susceptible to dehydration.

13.) Not only do frogs play a role in human cuisine, but they also have played an important role in symbolism, literature, and religion.

14.) Known for being environmental bellwethers, frogs are indicators of a healthy ecosystem. The decline in frog populations can indicate a decline in the surrounding environment.

15.) Nearly 1/3 of the frog species are threatened with extinction. Approximately 120 species have already gone extinct, since the 1980s.

16.) The deadly fungus, chytridiomycosis, has decimated amphibian populations, the world over.

17.) Frogs typically have smooth, moist skin.

18.) The origin of the word frog is highly debated and uncertain, at best. From what is currently excepted, the name frog is derived from the Old English frogga. However, other names referring to frog are frosc, forsc, and frox. It has been agreed upon that the name frog was somehow derived from these names.

19.) A frog will typically have longer back legs and shorter front legs. They will also jump and can swim, rather than walking or staying predominantly on land.

20.) Many frogs also have webbed feet for swimming and some web-footed frogs even use their webbing for gliding from tree to tree. Such is the case with the Wallace’s flying frog.

There are certainly more minute differences, but these are the primary descriptions of frogs.

Toads

1.) While all members of the order Anura are frogs, only members of the family Bufonidae are considered to be true toads.

2.) A toad’s skin is typically dry and warty, rather than smooth. Their warty skin also does not cause a person to become inflicted with pathologic warts. That is a myth.

3.) The legs of a toad are short and stout and made primarily for walking and crawling, rather than jumping, swimming, or certainly not gliding.

4.) Even though they do need to be near moisture, toads generally aren’t known for hanging out in bodies of water.

5.) The poison produced from a toad comes not from their skin, but rather their parotoid glands. These are located behind the toad’s eyes, on the sides of their head.

6.) Toads tend to return to their birth place to breed. This however increases the risk of inbreeding. But toads tend to avoid breeding with siblings. They are able to discern whether a prospective mate is a sibling or a toad from another bloodline.

7.) Just like frogs, toads are afflicted with the deadly chytrid fungus.

8.) The tongue of a toad isn’t long, but rather folds and unfolds to capture prey items.

9.) The usual prey items include invertebrates, like insects. But some toads even prey on small rodents, lizards, and even snakes. Such is the case with the cane toad.

10.) The name toad hails from the Middle English toode, tadde, tode, tade, and from the Old English *tāde, which is a shortened version of the Old English tādie or tādiġe.

11.) Many species of toads burrow into the ground to overwinter. They enter into a kind of stasis known as brumation to survive the colder winter months.

12.) Generally speaking, humans avoid eating toads, as they tend to be unsafe to eat. But some people do still eat them.

13.) The toad, as in the case with frogs, has played a role in symbolism, literature, and religion.

14.) While most toads take on a more earthen coloration there are brightly colored toads, called harlequin toads, that come in a variety of colors, including: orange, red, green, yellow, brown, black, and even purple. This has earned them the nickname clown toads.

15.) Toads lack webbed feet, and instead have toes of varying lengths. This is due to their terrestrial (spend their lives on the ground) lifestyle.

16.) The Venezuelan pebble toad has a remarkable and unusual defense against predation. If threatened, these hill and mountain loving amphibians will curl into a ball and roll, to great distances, down the hillside or off a cliff, They bounce off rocks and tumble their way down the mountainside to safety and seem unscathed when they reach the bottom, despite all the impacts they encounter on the way down.

17.) There are around 300 identified species of toads, compared to the over 5,000 species of frogs.

18.) Like frogs, besides using their forelimbs to shove food into their mouths, they will also use their eyes to swallow their food. They do this by retracting their eyeballs into their head, which pushes the food down their esophagus.

19.) Unlike the bunches or clusters, which have a jelly-like substance around them, toads tend to lay their eggs in lines or strands on leaves of plants that live in or over the water.

20.) The line that divides frogs and toads is further skewed when you have amphibian called Panamanian golden frogs. These are actually toads, not frogs.

There are many more finite differences and similarities between these 2 amazing anurans. But you get the idea. One thing is certain though, they need to be protected, as they play a critical role in nature. Without frogs and toads there would be untold millions of unwanted insects overpopulating and coming to bother us humans and other animals. They also play a role as food for other animals. Their absence would be sorely missed.

How You Can Help

If you are looking for organizations that help to educate about and save amphibians, check out these groups.

An acquaintance of mine, Dr. Kerry Kriger, runs the organization Save the Frogs. They do a lot of great work to help educate and promote the well-being of amphibians, the world over.

Here is the link for Save the Frogs.

Another great organization is the Amphibian Foundation. These folks also do a lot of great work towards the conservation of the world’s amphibians.

Here is the link for Amphibian Foundation.

You can also do your own part in conserving amphibians.

You can commit to eating organic food. Organic food reduces pesticide and fertilizer use. This reduces the amount of chemical contamination that affects so many amphibian species, the world over.

Avoid releasing environmental estrogens into the water column. Environmental estrogens are known to have an affect on amphibian populations worldwide; which also affects humans.

Do not use pesticides. Pesticides kill amphibians and insects that amphibians eat.

Leave natural and artificial ground covers (dead wood and stones) in your backyard. Ground covers like these provide the moist shelter amphibians need and use to hide from predators and the elements.

Leave native aquatic vegetation growing at your pond. It provides food, refuge, and breeding habitat for adult amphibians and their young.

Join campaigns to stop amphibian trading. The frog trade has been responsible for introducing amphibian diseases and non-native predators.

You can also write letters and send e-mails to various authorities (United States Fish and Wildlife Service) to encourage them to support amphibian conservation.

Protect amphibians from pets. Cats and dogs can disrupt breeding activities of frogs and salamanders and kill an untold amount each year.

Never release an unwanted amphibian into the wild. This can disrupt the natural balance of the environment and can have devastating impacts on wildlife. An example of this is the small aquatic frogs and larger clawed frogs frequently kept as pets. They can harbor diseases that are capable of wiping out entire wild amphibian populations!