Polski
From the world, In this issue, Issue 3/2026
A toad is not a frog. How do you tell them apart?
Mar
A toad is not a frog, although in colloquial language these names are still sometimes used interchangeably, especially when a small amphibian moves along the roadside or roadway. In spring, such encounters are particularly common. Animals appear by ditches, on roadsides, on paths and asphalt, and without thinking we say: oh, a frog! Only are we sure? Or maybe a toad after all?
Frog vs. toad
At first glance, the difference seems slight: one and the other jump, appear near water and are associated with moist environments. Yet a frog and a toad are not the same thing. Although both belong to the order of anuran amphibians(Anura), their similarity usually ends with the general outline of their silhouettes.
Key differences: skin, silhouette, movement
The easiest place to start is with appearance. Frogs tend to have a slimmer body, longer hind limbs and wetter, smoother skin. Toads, on the other hand, tend to be more stocky, have shorter legs and thicker, rougher skin covered with numerous glands. Behind the eyes, parotids, or large, defense-producing parotid glands, are sometimes clearly visible.
The difference can also be seen in the way they move. Frogs are more likely to make long jumps, and their physique is better suited to efficient swimming. Toads, on the other hand, move with shorter leaps or even walk, which corresponds to their more terrestrial lifestyle.
The habitat of frogs and toads
Although both are primarily associated with water, they actually use it in slightly different ways. Frogs tend to be more strongly associated with moist environments and with bodies of water themselves. They can most often be found at ponds, lakes, oxbow lakes, in drainage ditches, in wet meadows, in reed beds and by slow-moving watercourses. They are eager to stay where the shore is overgrown with sedges, water sticks, rushes or low vegetation in which they can easily hide. On warm days, frogs can be seen basking on the shore or lurking just at the waterline, ready to disappear among the plants with a single leap.
Toads have a more terrestrial lifestyle and, outside of the breeding season, often stay away from reservoirs. They are encountered in gardens, parks, on the outskirts of forests, in thickets, in damp meadows and even near buildings. They like shady, quiet places that provide shelter – they hide under stones, among roots, under piles of leaves, boards or in dense vegetation. Unlike frogs, they don’t need to constantly stick to the water’s edge. They often come out only at dusk or after rain, when the air becomes more humid and the risk of losing water through their skin decreases.
However, it is important to remember that both frogs and toads are strongly connected to water during the breeding season. In the spring, they migrate to ponds, spillways, ditches and other shallow reservoirs, where they lay their eggs and begin the next stage of their life cycle. For the rest of the year, their paths are unlikely to intersect.
Ways to defend yourself
Although frogs and toads appear defenseless, they have actually developed several effective ways to protect themselves from predators. In the case of frogs, agility plays an important role: their long hind legs allow them to leap into the water in a flash, hide in vegetation or disappear into silt and coastal thickets. Their coloration can also be an ally, helping them blend in with their surroundings.
Toads have taken a different strategy. They do not rely on speed, but on deterrence. Their skin is thicker, rougher and equipped with numerous glands, including distinctive parotid glands on the sides of the head. These secrete substances with an unpleasant taste and irritating effect to deter a potential attacker from taking action. This is why the toad, although it moves slower than a frog, is not at all easy prey.
It is probably this rough, warty skin that has caused many superstitions to grow up around toads. The most famous of these says that you can get warts from touching this amphibian. This, of course, is not true. Warts in humans are caused by viruses, not by contact with toads. Their rough skin may cause some associations, but not skin lesions in humans.
However, this does not mean that wild amphibians should be picked up unnecessarily. For humans, the secretions of toads are usually not dangerous, but they can act as an irritant, especially if they get into the eyes or mouth. So it is better to follow a simple rule: observe, do not disturb, and wash your hands after any contact. This is safe for both humans and the animal itself.
Polish amphibians under human pressure
Caring for frogs and toads is a task not only for nature researchers. Amphibians are among the most endangered vertebrate groups today, and the causes include habitat loss, wetland drainage, water pollution, landscape fragmentation, traffic and climate change. The problem is global, but it is also well visible in Poland.
Polish regulations leave no doubt on the matter: all native amphibian species are under species protection. It is forbidden to capture, keep or relocate them without a legitimate need, just as it is forbidden to destroy their habitats and breeding sites. In practice, however, the most serious of the threats turns out to be not so much direct human pressure as simple ignorance. It is this that causes frogs and toads to be treated as an insignificant part of the landscape, rather than as an important part of the ecosystem.
Amphibians are extremely sensitive indicators of environmental health. They react quickly to deteriorating water quality, the loss of moist habitats, the presence of pollution and the disruption of ecological corridors. Where frogs and toads disappear from the landscape, it is often a signal that nature is losing its balance. Therefore, correctly identifying these animals is not just a matter of language or biological precision. It is the first step to looking more carefully at nature and better understanding the changes taking place in the aquatic and terrestrial environments.
