August 04, 2007

Kermit the frog and Toad of Toad Hall are delightful animal characters. Jim Henson’s popular television programme Muppet Show made Kermit famous, and the writer Kenneth Grahame brought Mr Toad to life in his book The Wind in the Willows.

You may think that these two creatures are one and the same thing. They both are amphibians and vertebrates but certain characteristics distinguish the toad from the frog. Let us first discuss their similarities.

These amphibians live partly in water and partly on land. Their young are called tadpoles, and eggs are laid and hatched in water. They swim with great expertise in the water due to their webbed feet. Their body shapes are roughly the same and their diet consists of worms and insects.

How do toads and frogs protect themselves from the enemy? They have certain poison glands located on their bodies. Poison secreted from these glands irritates the eyes and mucous membranes of predators.

Interestingly, different species of frogs have different kinds of protection. Aside from the poison glands, some frogs use colours to protect themselves. Example of this is the Poison-dart Frog. These little frogs are easily recognised by their blue colour. As their name implies, poison dart frogs can release toxins from the skin that are distasteful and potentially lethal to would-be predators. South American Indians apply the poison to the tips of their hunting arrows and blow-gun darts.

Other frogs use colour as a camouflage to blend into their environment to hide from their enemies. The Tree Frog does this quite well.

Some frogs try to fool the enemy by puffing themselves up with air to make themselves look too big to be swallowed. An example is the Tomato Frog.

Then there is the False-eyed Frog which, on spying a predator, hunches over to show its two false eye spots at the back. The spots ooze out foul smelling liquid.

The Leopard Frog plays dead by keeping very still and holding its breath to avoid being eaten; others give out a loud scream to startle their enemy to drop them like a hot brick!

Now we come to their differences. Toads spend more time out of the water, so that’s why their skin is duller, rougher and drier. In other words, toads have dry, warty skin. Also, toads cannot jump as far as frogs, since their limbs are shorter. Frogs have strong, hind legs to enable them leap forward at a great distance. For instance, the Cricket Frog (1.5 inch long) can leap 40 times its length in one jump!

Incredible as it may sound, frogs (not toads) are a source of food in some countries — frogs’ legs are considered a delicacy.

Furthermore, contrary to what some people think, you cannot get warts if you hold a toad, and, if you kiss a frog, he most certainly will not turn into Prince Charming!