Which Have Warts: Frogs or Toads?

Both frogs and toads have had to deal with the reputations of being wart carriers. The distinction is simple: frogs have smooth skin while toads have wart-like structures on their backs. These two amphibian cousins are both the hopping and croaking kind. However, frogs live their lives very close to water, while toads prefer the drier land. Their dry preference is the source of their seemingly warty condition.

  1. Source of the Warts

    • The bumps on a toad's back are actually not warts: they are holding tanks for some mean toxins that the toads secrete when picked up. The toxins can cause severe irritation the skin of humans and animals if touched. The toxins are especially dangerous if they get into the eyes, nose or mouth.

    Why Warts are Exclusive

    • Toads have these wart-like structures as a defense mechanism, as most of them live very far away from water and cannot hop as efficiently as their frog cousins. Because they are slower and do not have the protection of water, the toads needed a defense to deter predators.

    Human and Amphibian Warts

    • Because the bumps on a toad's back are not truly warts, humans cannot contract warts from them. Furthermore, only cases of viral warts are contagious. Also, there are several species of poisonous frogs alive that secrete toxins much like the toad. These frogs may not have warts at all.

    Misconceptions

    • Another old wives' tale describes a person getting a case of warts from the urine of a toad. This isn't true either. In fact, the toads have a veritably healthy diet of plants, worms, grubs, insects and other items. Nothing in their diet could even combine to create a wart-producing secretion.