In Britain, we have two native toad species and two frog species – the common frog, pool frog (the UK's rarest amphibian), common toad and natterjack toad.
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All are amphibians and all, superficially at least, have a very similar shape, breed in water and make a variety of chirping and purring noises. But look more closely and the differences become very apparent.
What's the difference between a toad and a frog?
Appearance
The common frog and the common toad are, as their names suggest, the most frequently encountered and are easy to compare and contrast. Skin is the first big difference. The frog’s skin is smooth, while the toad’s is rough or warty. The toad tends to be a more uniform beige or brown while the frog is more dapper and varied in its green, brown, even yellow attire.
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Movement
Toads and frogs get around differently, too. The frog has long, spring-like back legs for sudden leaps. The toad, while having longer back legs than front, is a crawler. Instead of leaping from danger, it relies on bufotoxin, a foul-tasting substance secreted from its skin, particularly from the parotoid glands behind its head, which can repel would-be predators.
Breeding
Both frog and toad need ponds or slow-moving rivers in which to breed. Frogs tend to breed earlier in the year, from January in the far south-west of England. Toads can still be found breeding in April or May. While frogs lay great clouds of spawn – masses of jelly-like eggs all balled together – toads lay their eggs in long, thin strings wrapped around water plants. After they hatch, toad tadpoles often shoal together for protection, though they also contain distasteful bufotoxin so fish tend to avoid them. Frog tadpoles are more solitary and are very vulnerable to fish, newts, dragonfly larvae and many other predators. With both species, only a tiny fraction of tadpoles survive to transform into a froglet or toadlet, and fewer still make it to adulthood.
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