Frog vs Toad

Diffen › Science › Biology › Zoology › Animals

This article compares true frogs and true toads and makes generalizations for the most common characteristics of frogs and toads. There are several exceptions because there is a vast variety of frog and toad species, each with different characteristics.

Frogs and toads are amphibians belonging to the order Anura and taxonomy does not make a distinction between the two. True frogs belong to the family Ranidae and members of the family Bufonidae are called true toads.

Comparison chart

Frog versus Toad comparison chart
	Frog	Toad
Hind legs	Long, powerful jumping legs	Shorter legs for walking or hopping
Eggs	Frogs lay eggs in clusters, young live in water	Toads lay eggs in long chains; some toads do not lay eggs but give birth to live young, young live in water
Skin	Moist and smooth	Dry and bumpy
Characteristic	Amphibians, keeping mostly in water	Amphibians, keeping mostly on land
Habitat	Prefer moist environments	Prefer dry environment but adapt to moist conditions as well.
Teeth	Frogs have vomerine teeth in their upper jaw.	Toads have no teeth.
Eyes	Eyes bulge out	Eyes do not bulge out, poison gland behind eyes
Food	Insects, snails, spiders, worms and even small fish	Insects, grubs, slugs, worms, and other invertebrates

Differences in Physical Characteristics

Frogs range in size from 10 mm to 300 mm. Their skin hangs loosely on their body and the skin texture also varies from one animal to another, although most frogs have moist and smooth skin. Many frogs, especially those that live in water, have webbed toes. Some frogs contain mild toxins that make them distasteful to potential predators.

Toads tends to have dry, bumpy, and possibly warty skin. Toads have a shorter body and their legs are often described as stubby or muscular. Frogs, on other hand, tend to have longer legs. The frog's eyes tend to be protuberant and bulge out of their bodies, which is not the case for toads.

Eating Habits

Frogs and toads have similar diets. They are omnivorous feeding on insects, worms, small fish, algae, and other swamp creatures.

Habitat

In general, frogs prefer a moist environment, while toads have adapted to both dry and moist environments.

Movement

Due to their longer legs, typical frogs are capable of very long jumps, many times their own body length, while the typical toad moves only in short hops.