Major Difference Between Frogs And Toads

Frogs

Frogs are a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura. Frogs are widely distributed ranging from the tropics to subarctic regions, but the greatest population is found in tropical rainforests. They are also one of the five diverse vertebrate orders.  Frogs have a stout body, protruding eyes, cleft tongue, limbs folded underneath and strong, webbed hind feet that are adapted for leaping and swimming. They also possess smooth, moist skins that vary in color from grey, olive green, yellow to brown. Many are predominantly aquatic, but some live on land, in burrows or in trees.  

Frogs are truly predators; they’ll eat just about anything that comes their way in the wild. They use their long tongues and sticky saliva to catch prey that passes them by. They eat spiders, grasshoppers, locusts, mealworms, butterflies, insects, worms, snails, small fish, slugs, worms and just anything else that fits in their mouth. Aquatic frogs eat a variety of aquatic invertebrates.

All frogs reproduce sexually and all hatch from eggs. In almost all frogs, egg fertilization happens outside the female’s body instead of inside. The female releases her eggs and the male releases his sperm at the same time.

During mating season, the male frogs in a group will croak quite loudly. Frogs croak to attract females. When the female finds a male croak she likes, the male will grab her and she will release eggs for him to fertilize.

Facts About Frogs

1. Frogs are known for relatively big, bulging eyes.
2. They have strong, long, hind feet that are adapted for leaping and swimming.
3. Frogs have webbed feet.
4. They have a smooth or slimy skin with a yellow to brown color and a distinctive brown patch. behind the eyes.
5. Frogs have vomerine teeth in their upper jaw.
6. Frog are somewhat slimmer and athletic-looking.
7. Frog tadpoles are covered in gold flecks.
8. Generally prefers to like moist environments.
9. A frog is most of the time under water, they are rarely seen too far away from water while on land.
10. Frogs have sticky long tongues that they use as lashes to reach out for food.
11. Frogs tend to lay eggs in clusters that resemble a bunch of grapes.
12. Frog tadpoles are slimmer.
13. A frog is more timid than a toad.
14. A frog eats insects, worms, snails, small fish, spiders etc.
15. According to Wildlife Preservation Canada, frogs live on every continent except Antarctica.

Toads

The common toad can vary in color from olive to green, dark brown or grey, sometimes with dark markings. Its skin is characteristically dry and warty. It has copper-colored eyes with a horizontal pupil. It can grow up to 13 cm in length and females are larger than males.

As lovers of damp log piles and deep leaf litter, the common toad spends much of its year in moist, shaded places, often in woodland, feeding on worms, slugs and insects. When it’s scared or threatened, the warts on its back secrete a vile-tasting substance-its defense against predators.

During the breeding season in early spring, toads migrate to the pond in which they were spawned, to find a mate and reproduce. Male toads arrive first and wait for females at these ponds, although some choose to ambush the females on the way, jumping on their backs mid-journey.

Like frogs, toads are amphibians. They differ from most frogs because they have dry skin, warts, crest behind the eyes and parotoid glands. The parotoid glands produce a poisonous secretion that helps the toad defend itself from predators. Toads tend to be larger as well as having shorter legs than the common frog. The toad also walks or crawls whereas the frog hops. Toadspawn is laid in long strings whereas frogspawn is laid in large clumps. After hatchling, toad tadpoles are black while frog tadpoles are greener.

Facts  About Toads

1. Toads are often recognized by distinctive poison glands located behind their eyes.
2. Toads have stubby bodies with short hind legs for walking/crawling instead of hopping.
3. Toads have stubby bodies with short hind legs for walking/crawling instead of hopping.
4. Toads have no vomerine teeth in the upper and lower jaw.
5. Toad’s skin is dry and somewhat warty, dry-looking with a brownish color.
6. Toads are somewhat thick, dumpy and squat.
7. Toad tadpoles are chunky and plain black in color.
8. They usually prefer dryer climates.
9. A toad will most likely be on land and further away from the water than a frog.
10. Toads do not have sticky long tongues of a frog, but must walk up to its food to devour it.
11. Toads tend to lay eggs in long chains/strands and not in a clump.
12. Toad tadpoles are chunky.
13. Toads may stay still when approached or hop a shorter distance than a frog.
14. Toad eats insects, slugs, grubs, worms and other invertebrates.
15. According to Wildlife Preservation Canada, toads live all across the world with exception of polar regions, Australia, Polynesia and Madagascar.

Also Read: Difference Between Amphibians And Reptiles

Difference Between Frogs And Toads In Tabular Form

Also Read: Difference Between Vertebrates And Invertebrates

Similarities Between Frogs And Toads

• Both are amphibians in the order Anura of the animal kingdom.
• Both tend to be active at night and avoid sunshine.
• In spring, both frogs and toads spawn in shallow water, but at other times, either may be found away from ponds in long grass  or sheltering under stones and logs.
• Both eat insects, small fish, worms, slugs, spiders and other small critters.
• Both frog and toads are solitary, although the toad will live in groups when it hibernates and during mating.