A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura (frogs) characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and snout-like parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in taxonomy, but is common in popular culture, in which toads are associated with drier skin and more terrestrial habitats than frogs. In taxonomy, toads are spread across families Bufonidae, Bombinatoridae, Discoglossidae, Pelobatidae, Rhinophrynidae, Scaphiopodidae, and Microhylidae. A group of toads is called a knot.
The bumps on a toad's skin help the animal blend into its environment visually by breaking up its outline. Also, the parotoid gland is often mistaken for 'warts'. They are present on healthy specimens and are not a result of infection.
Famous quotes containing the word toad:
“Even a toad has four ounces of strength.”
—Chinese proverb.
“Why not walk in the aura of magic that gives to the small things of life their uniqueness and importance? Why not befriend a toad today?”
—Germaine Greer (b. 1939)
“Helpless, unknown, and unremembered, most human beings, however sensitive, idealistic, intelligent, go through life as passengers rather than chauffeurs. Although we may pretend that it is the chauffeur who is the social inferior ... most of us, like Toad of Toad Hall, would not mind a turn at the wheel ourselves.”
—Ralph Harper (b. 1915)