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{{Short description|Common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae}}{{other uses}}{{pp-semi-indef}}{{pp-move-indef}}{{Automatic taxobox| image = Bombina bombina 1 (Marek Szczepanek).jpg| image_caption = European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina), a member of the family Bombinatoridae| taxon = Anura

Blasius Merrem>Merrem, 1820| subdivision_ranks = Families| subdivision = 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.WEB,ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=toad, toad, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 6 October 2016, NEWS,www.britannica.com/animal/toad#ref58502, toad {{!, amphibian|work=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2017-05-23|language=en}}A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientific taxonomy, but is common in popular culture (folk taxonomy), in which toads are associated with drier, rougher skin and more terrestrial habitats.WEB,dictionary.reference.com/browse/toad, Toad, Dictionary.com, LLC, 29 May 2012, List of toad families In scientific taxonomy, toads include the true toads (Bufonidae) and various other terrestrial or warty-skinned frogs.Non-bufonid “toads” can be found in the families:WEB,www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=173423, Anura, Taxonomic Serial No.: 173423, ITIS Report, Integrated Taxonomic Information System, 20 April 2012, Bombinatoridae (fire-bellied toads and jungle toads) Calyptocephalellidae (helmeted water toad and false toads) Discoglossidae (midwife toads) Myobatrachidae (Australian toadlets) Pelobatidae (European spadefoot toad) Rhinophrynidae (burrowing toads) Scaphiopodidae (American spadefoot toads) Microhylidae (narrowmouth toads) Biology 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 is a myth that handling toads causes warts.JOURNAL, Butts, Wilbur K., Error and Superstition in Biology, BIOS, 1933, 4, 2, 52–60, 4603978, 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 a species are possible, siblings rarely mate.WEB,www.psu.edu/dept/nkbiology/naturetrail/speciespages/americantoad.htm, American Toad, psu.edu, Toads recognize and avoid mating with close kin. Advertisement vocalizations given by males appear to serve as cues by which females recognize kin.Waldman B, Rice JE, Honeycutt RL. Kin recognition and incest avoidance in toads. Am. Zool. 1992. 32:18-30. Kin recognition thus allows avoidance of inbreeding and consequent inbreeding depression. Habitat In the United Kingdom, common toads often climb trees to hide in hollows or in nest boxes.WEB,www.newscientist.com/article/2311987-common-toads-surprise-biologists-by-climbing-trees/, Common toads surprise biologists by climbing trees, Cultural depictions {{Further|Toadstone|List of fictional frogs and toads}}(File:Dong Ho painting - Nhan nghia.jpg|thumb|Vietnamese folk painting “Nhân nghÄ©a”)(File:Grenouilles2.jpg|thumb|Vietnamese folk painting “Lão oa giảng Ä‘á»™c”)In Kenneth Grahame’s novel The Wind in 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.NEWS,www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml, The Big Read Top 200, BBC, April 2003, 28 June 2016, .NEWS, Christine Paik, 100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900: From Book Magazine, March/April 2002,www.npr.org/programs/totn/features/2002/mar/020319.characters.html,web.archive.org/web/20020408191445/https://www.npr.org/programs/totn/features/2002/mar/020319.characters.html, 8 April 2002, dead, Talk of the Nation, NPR, 2002-03-19, 2013-02-26, In Chinese culture, the Money Toad (or Frog) Jin Chan appears as a feng shui charm for prosperity.WEB,fengshui-doctrine.com/index.php?q=feng-shui-money-frog.html, Feng Shui Money Frog, 28 June 2016,fengshui-doctrine.com/index.php?q=feng-shui-money-frog.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20140501191603fengshui-doctrine.com/index.php?q=feng-shui-money-frog.html,">web.archive.org/web/20140501191603fengshui-doctrine.com/index.php?q=feng-shui-money-frog.html, 1 May 2014, dead, dmy-all, See also True toad Common toad References {{Reflist}} External links {{Wiktionary}}{{Commons}} EB1911, Toad, 26, 1035, x,