Well, it’s time for another cheat sheet for parents to add to their little resource library of things their children are going to encounter. I felt that toads are a great example because most children experience a frog or a toad and sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between them. I mean, we know the basics; frogs and toads are related…somehow…and they are amphibians but what else can you say about them.

In actuality, there are several things that you can say about toads and I have compiled a little cheat sheet for that.

The difference between Toads and Frogs:

There are only a few different things that will help you differentiate a toad from a frog and these are:

1. Location: A frog spends most of its life in or very near to water. Toads, on the other hand, will travel away from water and many people will find them in their garden, which I have been doing over the last few weeks as I get my garden together. Usually, I find at least one every other day.
2. The Skin: Frogs tend to have smoother skin that feels wet to the touch while Toads have bumpy skin, more warts and they feel slightly dry to the touch.
3. The Legs: Frogs usually have long strong legs while a toad has a shorter body and shorter, muscular legs.
4. The Attitude: Frogs tend to be shy and will quickly slip away when fingers are trying to grasp them. Toads are usually not as timid and can be very easy to catch. They are also more likely to just sit and relax in your hand if you are not being cruel to them.
5. The Movement: Frogs jump and although toads will jump, they are more likely to crawl along on all four legs than jump.
6. The Eggs: If you have spotted some eggs it is pretty easy to determine what will come out of the eggs. If they are in a cluster, almost like grapes, then they are frogs. If they resemble a string of black beads coated in a clear jelly, then they are toads.

A few more facts:

• Toads are amphibians
• Toads do not have teeth
• Toads have poison sacks behind their eyes to deter predators. When a predator bites down on a toad, its mouth is filled with a horrible taste and they will usually remain sick for a few hours since many toad species do not have enough poison to severely injure an animal.
• Toads belong to a family called bufonidae.

Life cycle of a toad:

• Egg: an adult toad lays eggs in water
• Tadpole: the eggs hatch and tadpoles live in the water with external gills similar to a fish. They live off of plant and animal matter.
• Mature Tadpole: the tadpole matures and will develop hind legs first at about 6 to 8 weeks.
• Young Toad: the lungs develop into internal lungs and the front legs grow. The tail shortens until there is no tail left and the young toad can live on land fully.
• Adult: the toad becomes an adult

Some resources:

This site will actually take you to many great sites related to frogs and toads and you won’t have to go too far to find what you are looking for. 42explore

Hope you enjoyed my cheat sheet for Toads today.

Sirena Van Schaik

• Buying a Layette Part Three Well, here we are with our third installment of building a layette. I know that I am probably taking you through the long haul but I find that it is much easier to understand the whole layette in sections than in getting a list that doesn't really explain what each......
• Fun with Science: Make your own Tornado This is a great activity to show weather systems or simply for a little play time. I actually have a Toysmith Cyclone Tube to use for this activity and you can usually pick these up at any science, or toy store. You can also purchase them at a teacher supply......
• Water Reminders After missing a day due to feeling slightly under the weather, I'm back and ready to talk again.  You might be groaning right now but I'm sure you will enjoy the next post and of course, since I missed Thursday, you get a special Saturday edition this week.  Anyway, enough from......
• Fun With Science: Moving Pepper This is a very simple science experiment that can be done with children as young as 2. Basically, if they can sit still and be amazed, then they can enjoy this experiment. Before you begin any science experiment, whether you do it at home or in a classroom, you should......
• Cheat Sheets: Snails It has been a while since I wrote a cheat sheet for That Parent Place so I figured it was time to do so again. Right now, I am the proud snail-sitter of about 10 snails. They will be going back into a nice spot in my yard very soon,......

• Shaping To Circumstance? The beauty and diversity of a wild reef is well known. Fish and corals have adjusted to their niche. What about the captive reef? The aquarist does his/her best to meet the needs of the corals (and fish) to try and ensure their health and longevity. The fish and corals......
• Ten Tips Toward a More Eco Friendly Home Tip 1 - Turn the lights off any time that they are not needed, even if you are just moving from room to room in the course of your day. According to Energy Star, as much as 20 percent of a home's overall energy use comes from its lighting. Using......
• EarthTalk: Are We Running Out Of Clean Water? Dear EarthTalk: I saw a cover line on a magazine that said, “The next world war will be over water.” Tell me we’re not really running out of water! Today fully one-sixth of the world’s human population lacks access to clean drinking water, and more than two million people—mostly kids—die......
• How to Have a Safe and Enjoyable Independence Day Oh boy, who doesn't just love this time of year! The fireworks, the hot summer nights, the smell of Barbecue every where you go! One of the things I look forward to most around this time of year is the food (though this year it will be a bit......
• Fallene Cotz SPF 58 Water Resistant UVB/UVA Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin, 2.5-Ounce Tube User Reviews Send this to a friend Fallene Cotz SPF 58 Water Resistant UVB/UVA Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin, 2.5-Ounce Tube Manufacturer: Fallene Customer Rating: List Price: $26.00 Sale Price: $16.50 Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours Free Shipping Available Buy Now Product Description Fallene Cotz SPF 58 is a......

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tags: amphibians, bufonidae, Cheat Sheets, difference between toads and frogs, life cycle of a toad, Toads

Trackback URI | Comments RSS