Toads - Information for learners
Is a toad a frog or is a frog a toad? Are they even the same thing or is there a difference?
You can tell most toads and frogs apart by the appearance of their skin and legs. Both amphibians make up the order Anura in the animal kingdom, but there are some key differences. Most frogs have long legs and smooth skins covered in mucus. Toads generally have shorter legs and rougher, thicker skins.
Toads will live further away from water than frogs since their skins are rougher and thicker, they can withstand being dried out. A frog needs to be kept wet.
You will find toads on all the continent, except in Antarctica (like most animals and insects).
It happens many times that an animal is brought to a country to catch another animal that is a pest to the people. This happened in Australia. There were a lot of beetles eating the sugar cane and then they brought the Cane toad which is found in South and Central America to catch the beetles. This worked but the problem is now that the Cane toad is now seen as a pest.
On the back of the head, a toad has 2 'parotoid glands'. These glands will give of fluid which is toxic, if the frog feels threatened, like if a predator bites it. Different animals react differently to this toxin. For some it will irritate the eyes, some will get sick and some can even die.
The old wives tale that says you will get warts if you touch a toad is not true and the toxin will not really have an effect on a human, but it is better to wash your hand if you picked up a toad.
Some toads are more poisonous than others.
Another way in which a toad protects itself from predators is to make it look bigger by 'puffing' itself up or to 'play dead'.
Toads will mostly spend their time during the day in their burrows under the ground and come out at night time - they are nocturnal- to catch some insects. They do not have teeth to chew the insects, they swallow them whole. Have a look at the video to see how they catch an insect with their long tongue.
Toads will hibernate in winter time, which means they will go in a deep sleep where they will not need to eat, There is not a lot of insect during the winter, so it is better if the toad sleeps.
A toad will live 3-5 years in nature, but there are recordings of toad that lived up to 35 years in captivity. The reason is because they are much more protected and do not have anything that can make it sick or hunt it like a snake.
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