A common name for frogs with short legs and dry, warty skin, especially the true toads. The “warts” are glands, and it’s a myth that handling a toad gives you warts.
Quick answers
What is it?Amphibian
Carnivore?Insects only
Dangerous?Can be
Glands behind the head hold a poison the toad releases when stressed. Some, like the cane toad, are much more toxic than others.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
The common toad hides by day and comes out at dusk to hunt through the night.
Hibernates?Yes
Toads living on land in cold regions dig a burrow and hibernate through winter.
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatForest, Grassland, Wetland
ColoursBrown, Green
SizeSmall
LengthUp to about 15 cm (common toad)
Legs4
Covered inSkin
Lives alone
Lives for10–12 years
Can swim
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- True toads are native to every continent except Australia and Antarctica.
- What it eats
- Insects and other small invertebrates, hunted at night. The common toad will snap at almost any small, dark, moving object.
Did you know
Dry warty skin and it walks; frogs are wet and they jump.
The common toad usually gets about by walking slowly or making short, shuffling jumps.
Often confused with
- Frog
Toads are frogs with drier, rougher, wartier skin that live more on land. The split is informal and doesn’t match scientific classification.
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