What is the difference between frogs and toads?

What is the difference between frogs and toads?

There are many people who don’t know the difference between frogs and toads. They belong in the same animal group but are very different animals!

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Frogs:

Need to live near water.

They have smooth moist skin.

Have a narrow and long body.

Their eyes are higher on their heads.

Frogs have long hind legs, used for swimming.

They take long and high jumps.

Have many predators.

Frogs are important indicators of the health of their environment. Their skin absorbs toxic materials, so they are extremely sensitive to changes to the air and water quality. Unfortunately, frog populations have been declining due to climate change and pollution.

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Toads:

Do not need to live near water to survive.

Have rough, dry, bumpy skin.

Have a wider body.

Have shorter legs.

They take small hops instead of long jumps.

Toads do not have many predators. Their skin lets out a bitter taste and smell that burns the eyes and nose of its predators.

Neither frogs nor toads will give you warts! That is an old myth.

Make a fun frog and lily pad craft

Materials:

Construction paper

White craft glue or glue stick

Scissors

Hole punch

Procedure:

Draw a frog shape and lily pad shape out of different colors.

Decorate your frog with spots. Hole punch or stickers. Make eyes and cut a thin piece of red paper for a tongue. Use a pencil and roll the tongue around it so it will curl.

Cut the lily pad out of a contrasting piece of paper. Use a different color to make the veins on the leaf. Cut thin pieces at an angle so they are thinner at the bottom. Glue them to the top of the lily pad with the thin ends all at the base of the leaf and spreading out to the other side.

frog template.jpg

You can download this template by clicking here.

Lily pad craft.jpg

lily pad craft.jpg

Make a paper spring for your frog. Cut two strips of paper a half inch wide, and about 8 inches long. Place the strips at a right angle to each other and fold them back and forth over each other till you have a sturdy spring.

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Glue the spring to the underside of the frog in the center, then the other end of the spring to the center of the lily pad.  Let glue dry and enjoy!

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