Frog or toad, what’s the difference?

Frogs and toads are often regarded as one, but this is in fact very wrong. Both fall under the order Anura, true toads, however, are separated into the family Bufonidae. The rest, called frogs, are separated into 53 families. It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish a frog from a toad for the untrained eye. For example, in South Africa, the Sand Frogs, genus Tomopterna can look very similar to a species of toad, and the Rain Frogs, in the genus Breviceps can also look quite close to a toad. There are also toads that can look like frogs such as the Mountain Toadlets in the genus Capensibufo. Making the distinguishment of whether it is a frog or toad is crucial for further identification. 

A sand frog that looks like a toad.

Probably the easiest and most obvious way to distinguish a frog from a toad is the skin, frogs generally have more smooth skin, while toads have more warty skin. The skin of a frog is also usually more wet than a toad’s skin. This is however not the most accurate way to tell, a better way to tell is by looking for the Parotoid glands. The Parotoid glands are two glands situated on either side of the head just behind the eye. These are only present in toads; they may be reduced but are always there. Red Toads, a common toad in South Africa lack visible Parotoid glands, instead they have a distinct dorsolateral ridge.

Parotoid glands visible on a Raucous Toad.

Looking at the feet is also a helpful way to distinguish them. Toads usually don’t have webbing between their feet, or at least very reduced webbing; frogs may have quite extensive webbing, though this is variable because frogs are so diverse.  Toads also have very ridged feet and their digits have restricted mobility. Frogs, however, have much more movable digits on their feet. This is due to the difference in habits, frogs need more movable digits for climbing and swimming, while toads mostly dig and spend their time on harder soils, so harder and more ridged feet really help. Toads also often have more warts on their feet. Frogs often have a more aerodynamic shape that aids in swimming and jumping. They usually also have longer, more slender limbs that help with jumping. Toads are more robust with shorter limbs.

A Plain grass frog showing the typical aerodynamic body shape that frogs usually have.

As always there are exceptions, but the most reliable way to tell is by looking for the parotoid glands! So yes, there are more too amphibians that meet the eye and things can get really complicated but it doesn't have to be. So next time you see a frog, or toad take a minute and really look closely!