Tonight, as I was walking the dackels, I spied my little frog-man. Each year in August he comes to the house. He sits at the top of the steps to the driveway and watches the world go by.
I’ve always wondered why the dogs give it a wide berth and almost ignore it. This innocent guy is a Bufonidae – True Toads. They’re actually a fascinating breed of Toad.The species in this family have warty skin, plump bodies, short legs, and parotid glands on the side of their heads. The parotid glands secrete a poison that can repel, or even kill predators.
True toads have no teeth or breastbone. Some people think that if you touch a toad you will get warts. That is not true. Most species in this family are dull in color and live on the land. They range in size from one inch to eight inches in length.
There are over 500 species in this family and they are found all over the world, except for in Australia and its surrounding islands.
I lay on the ground, in the dark, with my camera to get these shots of what I thought was a frog, but Hubby and I looked it up and we are certain that Kermit is a Toad and not a frog.
We have one like this each year. Almost in the exact same spot. I did see one in the garden earlier this year, but that one was not as big.
So I have learned one more thing about nature in my area. What do you think of my Toad?
Cool! And we had the Tree Frogs this year! Love YOU, Mel
I love it at all. It looks so cute 🙂