10-453: List of Anuran families Toad is a common name for certain frogs , especially of the family Bufonidae , that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands . In popular culture ( folk taxonomy ), toads are associated with drier, rougher skin and more terrestrial habitats. However, this distinction does not align precisely with scientific taxonomy . In scientific taxonomy, toads include
20-489: A species are possible, siblings rarely mate. Toads recognize and avoid mating with close kin. Advertisement vocalizations given by males appear to serve as cues by which females recognize kin. Kin recognition thus allows avoidance of inbreeding and consequent inbreeding depression . In the United Kingdom, common toads often climb trees to hide in hollows or in nest boxes. In Kenneth Grahame 's novel The Wind in
30-458: Is a myth that handling toads causes warts. Toads travel from non-breeding to breeding areas of ponds and lakes. Bogert (1947) suggests that the toads' call is the most important cue in the homing to ponds. Toads, like many amphibians, exhibit breeding site fidelity ( philopatry ). Individual American toads return to their natal ponds to breed, making it likely they will encounter siblings when seeking potential mates. Although inbred examples within
40-440: Is an order of animals in the class Amphibia that includes frogs and toads . More than 5,000 species are described in the order. The living anurans are typically divided into three suborders: Archaeobatrachia , Mesobatrachia , and Neobatrachia . This classification is based on such morphological features as the number of vertebrae, the structure of the pectoral girdle, and the morphology of tadpoles. The archaeobatrachians are
50-567: Is present in the neobatrachians, but absent in the archaeobatrachians and some mesobatrachians. It is believed to have differentiated from pectineus muscle , and this differentiation has not occurred in the primitive frogs. The Mesobatrachia are considered the evolutionary link between the Archaeobatrachia and the Neobatrachia. The families within the mesobatrachian suborder generally contain morphological features typical of both
60-401: The true toads (Bufonidae) and various other terrestrial or warty-skinned frogs. Non-bufonid "toads" can be found in the families: Usually the largest of the bumps on a toad's skin are those that cover the parotoid glands. The bumps are commonly called warts, but they have nothing to do with pathologic warts , being fixed in size, present on healthy specimens, and not caused by infection. It
70-602: The Willows (1908), Mr. Toad is a likeable and popular, if selfish and narcissistic, comic character. Mr. Toad reappears as the lead character in A. A. Milne 's play Toad of Toad Hall (1929), based on the book. In Chinese culture, the Money Toad (or Frog) Jin Chan appears as a feng shui charm for prosperity. List of Anuran families This list of Anuran families shows all extant families of Anura . Anura
80-419: The most modern species of frogs. Most of these frogs have morphological features which are more complex than those of the mesobatrachians and archaeobatrachians. The neobatrachians all have a palatine bone , which braces the upper jaw to the neurocranium . This is absent in all Archaeobatrachia and some Mesobatrachia. The third distal carpus is fused with the remaining carpal bones. The adductor longus muscle
90-472: The most primitive of frogs. These frogs have morphological characteristics which are found mostly in extinct frogs, and are absent in most of the modern frog species. Most of these characteristics are not common between all the families of Archaeobatrachia, or are not absent from all the modern species of frogs. However, all archaeobatrachians have free vertebrae, whereas all other species of frogs have their ribs fused to their vertebrae. The Neobatrachia comprise
100-448: The other suborders. For example, the palatine bone is absent in all archaeobatrachians, and present in all neobatrachians. However, within the mesobatrachians families, it can be dependent on the species as to whether the palatine bone is present. Due to the many morphological features which separate the frogs, many different systems are used for the classification of the anuran suborders. These different classification systems usually split
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