by: Dr.
Dawn Ruben
petsplace.com
As the legend goes, each frog is just a prince waiting for
the kiss of his princess. The toad, on the other hand, has
a somewhat less attractive connotation: They are dark, squatty,
lumpy-looking creatures that spread warts. Many people actually
think frogs and toad are two separate species, and some are
convinced that frogs are amphibians and toads are their reptile
cousins. Despite a recent surge of interest in frogs and toads,
misconceptions still abound.
The word "frog" is a general term. Toad is more
specific. All toads are frogs but not all frogs are toads.
For example, the Colorado River toad is a frog, and the green
tree frog is not a toad. If this is still a little confusing,
think of this. Your cuddly kitten may have very little in
common with the lion, the King of the African jungle, but
they both belong to the Felidae or "cat" family.
Amphibians are divided into three distinct orders: Frogs,
salamanders and caecilians. Of these three, frogs comprise
over 90 percent of all amphibians. All frogs and toads belong
the order scientifically referred to as “Anura.”
The different types of frogs and toads are then further divided
into various families and then different genera.
Finally, each distinct frog or toad is divided into different
species. In fact, there are about 400 different species of
toads all divided into over 30 different genera. Frogs and
toads vary so much that the smallest one is around a third
of an inch in length (Cuban Eleutherodactylus limbatus) and
the largest is the Goliath frog, which measures up to 15.7
inches and weighs in at over 7 pounds.
However, in addition to their name and position on a species
chart, frogs and toads can be differentiated by other means.
Toads have a special organ that other frogs do not. The Bidder’s
organ is a vestigial ovary that is found in the male toad.
Another difference is that toads do not have teeth. This is
an uncommon finding in species referred to as frogs.
In addition to body differences, toads differ from other
frogs in their movement and life style. Toads really cannot
jump like other frogs. They typically hop or crawl. Also,
toads prefer to live their lives on the ground instead of
in the trees, as many other frogs do. Despite their desire
to be on firm soil, toads are quite adapt at climbing.
Hopefully, you have gained an understanding and appreciation
for these amphibians. Toads and frogs are important and vital
members of our world and the more we learn about them, the
more we can learn about our environment and develop a deep
admiration for these creatures.
Copyright
Petsplace.com
Reprinted from http://petplace.netscape.com/articles/artShow.asp?artID=3759
