Toad
| Toad | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura Merrem, 1820 List of Anuran families |
A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin, brown coloration, and wart-like parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads, though common in popular culture, is not made in taxonomy, where toads are spread across families Bufonidae, Bombinatoridae, Discoglossidae, Pelobatidae, Rhinophrynidae, Scaphiopodidae, and Microhylidae. The characteristic features of toads are a result of convergent evolution in dry habitats. A group of toads is called a "Knot."
Toads cannot transmit warts to people through handling or skin contact. The bumps on a toad's skin help the animal blend into its environment visually by breaking up its outline. Also, the paratoid gland is often mistaken as 'warts'. They are present on healthy specimens and are not a result of infection.
See also
- True toad - Article on the Bufonidae family which includes many of the most common toads
References
- "Anura". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=173423. Retrieved 4 May 2006.
Further reading
- Beltz, Ellin (2005). Frogs: Inside their Remarkable World. Firefly Books. ISBN 1552978699.
Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Toad". Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press.