Is it a toad or a frog?

All toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads! 

Confused? You don’t have to be.  Toads are fat, frogs are slim.  Toads have warts; a frog’s body is smooth.  Toads live in drier climates; frogs live in or near water.  Look for toads everywhere – even in your own backyard.

In Ohio, perhaps no season is as welcomed as spring, when warmer temperatures and sunny skies bring us a renewed sense of life. And, for one segment of our animal world - frogs and toads - the season is even more celebrated. Across the state, these amphibians are awakening from their long winter naps loudly proclaiming that spring has returned.

Like an alarm clock, rising temperatures mixed with spring rains  rouse these cold-blooded creatures from a winter spent buried beneath mud at the bottom of a pond, tucked away under a blanket of dirt or wrapped in leaf litter on the forest floor. 

Did you know...

Amphibians don’t need to drink water? Instead they absorb it through their skin.

The American toad is found throughout Ohio, taking up residence in backyards and remote woodlands across the state. Not only is it the most common toad, it isn’t picky about where it breeds either, utilizing just about anything that holds water, from natural ponds and wet depressions to rain-filled dishes or containers. The American toad’s stubby body is colored in variations of tan, brown and gray. They have rounded spots on their backs from which sprout one or two warts. Its call is a prolonged, high-pitched trill that can last up to 20 seconds.

No toads or frogs calling in your neighborhood? Then take a trip to a one of our parks where the air is filled with the melodious calls of amphibian love.

Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources