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Toad

 
Toad

 
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Toad
 
  A toad can refer to a number of species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 of amphibian
Amphibian

Amphibians , such as frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians, are cold-blooded animals that metamorphose from a juvenile, water-breathing form to an adult, air-breathing form....
s in the order Anura. A distinction is often made between frog
Frog

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . The name frog derives from Old English language frogga, , cognate with Sanskrit plava , probably deriving from Proto-Indo-European language praw = "to jump"....
s and toads by their appearance, prompted by the convergent adaptation
Convergent evolution

Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action....
 among so-called "toads" to dry habitats. Many "toads" often have leathery skin for better water retention, and a brown coloration for camouflage. They also tend to burrow
Burrow

A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion....
. However, these adaptations are not reliable indicators of its ancestry. Because taxonomy
Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification. The word comes from the Greek language ', taxis and ', nomos .Taxonomies, or taxonomic schemes, are composed of taxonomic units known as taxa , or kinds of things that are arranged frequently in a hierarchical structure....
 reflects only evolutionary relationships, any distinction between frogs and toads is irrelevant to their classification.

For instance, many members of the frog families Bombinatoridae
Bombinatoridae

Bombinatoridae are often referred to as Fire-bellied toads because of their brightly colored ventral sides, which show that they are highly toxic to humans....
, Discoglossidae
Discoglossidae

Discoglossidae is a family of primitive frogs, with the common name Disc-Tongued Frogs. They are native to Europe and North-West Africa....
, Pelobatidae, Rhinophrynidae, Scaphiopodidae, and some species from the Microhylidae
Microhylidae

Microhylidae is a geographically widespread family of frogs. There are 413 species in 69 genera and nine subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family....
 family are commonly called "toads". However, the only family exclusively given the common name "toad" is Bufonidae, or the "true toad
True toad

Bufonidae is the family of the true toads, members of the order Anura . They are the only family of anurans all members of which are known as "toads"....
s". Some "true frog
True frog

The true frogs, family Ranidae, have the widest distribution of any frog family. They are abundant throughout most of the world, occurring on all continents except Antarctica....
s" of the genus Rana have also adapted to burrowing habitats, while a bufonid species in the genus Atelopus
Atelopus

Atelopus is a large genus of Bufonidae natively distributed in Costa Rica to Bolivia and French Guiana. Atelopus are generally brightly colored and Diurnal animal....
 are conversely known by the common name "harlequin frog
Harlequin frog

Harlequin frog is a non-scientific name for any of several varieties of frog or toad, including the following:* Atelopus, a genus of South American toads...
s". Similarly to frogs, toads also display metamorphosis from tadpole to sexually mature adult.

Further reading