The toad is the general name for many tailless amphibians which are slow moving and stout, and have a dry lumpy skin.
All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads. Toads are associated with rougher, browner skin than frogs, have shorter legs, fatter bodies and more terrestrial habitats.
The common toad Bufo bufo is found throughout most of Europe, with the exception of Ireland, Iceland and some Mediterranean islands.
The common toad has a rough, usually greyish brown skin. Its skin is covered with wart-like lumps which makes it unattractive as food for other animals.
These wart-like lumps can be contagious. Therefore, people have traditionally thought human warts and toad bumps are the same things, and that touching toads can cause warts.
Toads have paratoid glands behind their eyes which are used to make poison. The poison is toxic to dogs and cats, and can cause skin irritation to humans.
The toad needs this protection as its usual progress is a slow, ungainly crawl or short jumps.
The toad is an inconspicuous animal as it usually lies hidden during the day, becoming active at dusk and spending the night hunting for the invertebrates on which it feeds.
Although usually a solitary animal, in the breeding season large numbers of toads converge on certain breeding ponds, where the males compete to mate with the females.
The eggs are laid, not in a mass as with frogs, but in long strings.
A toad has no teeth.
A group of toads is called a knot.
The Romans strapped toads to their jaws as a cure for toothache.
When he was a child, Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, made pets of snails and toads. He found it easier to make friends with animals than other boys and girls.
Rudyard Kipling had a pet toad called Pluto when he was a child.
In April 2005, at least 1,000 toads swelled up with gases and exploded in Hamburg,
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| Pixiebay |
All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads. Toads are associated with rougher, browner skin than frogs, have shorter legs, fatter bodies and more terrestrial habitats.
The common toad Bufo bufo is found throughout most of Europe, with the exception of Ireland, Iceland and some Mediterranean islands.
ANATOMY AND BEHAVIOR
The common toad has a rough, usually greyish brown skin. Its skin is covered with wart-like lumps which makes it unattractive as food for other animals.
These wart-like lumps can be contagious. Therefore, people have traditionally thought human warts and toad bumps are the same things, and that touching toads can cause warts.
Toads have paratoid glands behind their eyes which are used to make poison. The poison is toxic to dogs and cats, and can cause skin irritation to humans.
The toad needs this protection as its usual progress is a slow, ungainly crawl or short jumps.
The toad is an inconspicuous animal as it usually lies hidden during the day, becoming active at dusk and spending the night hunting for the invertebrates on which it feeds.
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| Bombina bombina 1 (Marek Szczepanek) |
Although usually a solitary animal, in the breeding season large numbers of toads converge on certain breeding ponds, where the males compete to mate with the females.
The eggs are laid, not in a mass as with frogs, but in long strings.
A toad has no teeth.
FUN TOAD FACTS
A group of toads is called a knot.
The Romans strapped toads to their jaws as a cure for toothache.
When he was a child, Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, made pets of snails and toads. He found it easier to make friends with animals than other boys and girls.
Rudyard Kipling had a pet toad called Pluto when he was a child.
In April 2005, at least 1,000 toads swelled up with gases and exploded in Hamburg,
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