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How Can U Tell Baby Toads & Frogs Apart?

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    Posted: 08 Apr 2009 at 11:37am

IÆve been wondering about this one for ages. To me they look the same. My Auntie Chrissie on a Robbie forum wants to know too, I said IÆd report back to her.

 

 

 

BTW, have a nice Easter old people! IÆm off for a bit now.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tim hamlett Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Apr 2009 at 1:21pm

hi baby sue

can't really explain the differences but here's what they look like:

frog:

toad:

hope this helps

tim

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Apr 2009 at 5:49am

Frogs have light coloured legs? Toads are dark coloured all over? Or does that baby frog just happen to have light coloured legs but itÆs mates donÆt.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote administrator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Apr 2009 at 4:02pm

Most of the pointers are exactly the same for the adults, frogs have a more pointy nose when viewed from above -  but the easy way is to look for the paratoid glands which are very distinct on a toad. Also the toads pupil is horizontally slit whilst the frogs is round . They tend to move differently also, though toadlets can and do jump, generally they walk, mostly froglets just jump.

 



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Apr 2009 at 6:17am

Those paratoid glands look very similar to me. What does a pupil being horizontally slit mean? I might be able to tell them apart by their noses but IÆm guessing IÆm going to end up mistaking them a lot in the future.



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote administrator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Apr 2009 at 6:04pm

OK I'll put it more simply shall I? 

I'm old, I've been looking at these creatures since I was 4 so that is 38 years, they look as different to me as a dog and cat, does that help?

Isn't horizontally slit sort of self-explanatory? And no the glands do not look similar at all when viewing the animal. If you take the time to look you will easily learn to tell the difference without making any mistakes.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Apr 2009 at 7:24am

Originally posted by GemmaJF GemmaJF wrote:

OK I'll put it more simply shall I?

I'm old, I've been looking at these creatures since I was 4 so that is 38 years, they look as different to me as a dog and cat, does that help?

So that means IÆve got an awful long way to go then before I can start telling the difference easily.

 

 

Originally posted by GemmaJF GemmaJF wrote:

Isn't horizontally slit sort of self-explanatory?

I donÆt get what that means. The eyes of them two pics above look near enough the same to me. What does horizontally slit mean?

 

 

Originally posted by GemmaJF GemmaJF wrote:

And no the glands do not look similar at all when viewing the animal. If you take the time to look you will easily learn to tell the difference without making any mistakes.

IÆll take your word for it then.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote administrator Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Apr 2009 at 3:28pm

Don't fall into the trap of looking for the pointers I've provided only in the two photographs provided.

I've given you a number of features to consider when you see the animals next time. I agree in the photograph the horizontal slit pupil of the toad is less than obvious but to me it is still quite clear it isn't round. The Common frogs pupil will always be round, but a toads pupil goes from being a fine slit to an ellipse shape depending on the amount of light, but it is never a perfect circle - you say they look about the same, but clearly they are not actually the same and this is the sort of thing you need to be able to spot before you can make a positive identification. The basic ones you get are round, horizontal slit and vertical slit. Vertical slit is illustrated by my avatar, horizontal would go from left to right.

Trust me, if you use the pointers for a while you will get confident telling the difference, then eventually you will forget how you learnt to do it and just look at them and know which species you are looking at. It just takes time looking at a few of them, that's all.

I should add this is all on the ID pages and it has been there for several years

 



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Apr 2009 at 6:48am

IÆd never looked at the identification bit before. IÆve just browsed now and I can see a lot better about what you mean about the eyes being horizontal now, thanks Gemma. I didnÆt have a clue what you meant by looking at the above photo. Right IÆm off to link my old Auntie Chrissie to here so she can see what youÆve been saying about differences, with a bit of luck there might be a reward in it for me for finding out for her. I canÆt wait ætil I next see some froglets and toadlets myself cos IÆm gonna pick them up and look hard and study them and try and tell them apart now. ItÆs a shame there ainÆt a quiz on here giving pics of little toadlets and froglets and weÆre allowed to guess what they are and get marked at the end of it, I wonÆt know if IÆm diagnosing wrong in real life without an expert watching over me will I?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Apr 2009 at 9:41am

Auntie Chrissie has been here and seen what youÆve said and I did get a reward, she stroked my head. ItÆs quite a rare event cos that old relative donÆt like me much, she donÆt love me like the others, I get on her nerves. She says she couldnÆt really tell the difference by looking at the glands but she gets the eye thing and that sheÆs gonna see whatÆs in her garden when the babies are out later this summer and that sheÆll tell us what they are.

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