Differences Between Frogs and Toads, Plus Artificial Breeding Prices and Permit Requirements

Frogs are a relatively common protected animal in China. Because they can prey on large numbers of pests in the fields, they are called guardians of the farmland. However, as people hunted and killed them on a large scale, their numbers gradually decreased. So are frogs toads? How much per jin? What permits are needed for artificial breeding?

Frogs are not toads. The two differ in both body size and eggs:

Differences Between Toads and Frogs

1. Compare skin and body color

From behind the eyes to the base of the hind limbs, frogs have 2 longitudinal folds that are golden yellow or light brown. There is a light-colored longitudinal stripe in the center. The hind limbs have many transverse black markings. The back of a frog is brown or yellow-green, and the underside is white. Toad skin is rough, with wart-like protrusions of varying sizes densely covering the whole body. The back is dark brown, and the underside is creamy yellow.

2. Observe the poison glands

Toads have abundant poison glands, divided into skin glands and parotoid glands. The skin glands are distributed on the back of the body, where the epidermis is locally thickened into “warts.” The parotoid glands are above the tympanic membrane on the sides of the head. Carefully pierce the parotoid gland with a needle, and a milky white toxic fluid flows out. Frogs do not have poison glands.

3. Observe the vocal sacs

Male frogs have a pair of vocal sacs behind the corners of the mouth. When they vocalize, air in the mouth is pressed into the vocal sacs, expanding them into a spherical shape. Female frogs do not have vocal sacs. Toads, whether male or female, have no vocal sacs.

4. Compare teeth and tongue

Frogs have a row of small maxillary teeth along the edge of the upper jaw; on the vomer at the roof of the mouth there are also two rows of small side-by-side wart-like protrusions, called vomerine teeth. Toads have no teeth on either the upper or lower jaw. Pull out a frog's tongue, and its tip is forked; the tip of a toad's tongue is not forked.

5. Observe the connection between the ureters and the cloaca

A frog's 2 ureters each connect separately to the cloaca, and there are 2 openings on the cloacal wall; a toad's 2 ureters first merge into a single common ureter and then enter the cloaca, with only 1 opening on the cloacal wall.

6. Observe the connection between the oviducts and the cloaca

A frog's 2 oviducts also connect separately to the cloaca; a toad's first merge and then connect to the cloaca.

7. Compare the shoulder girdle

In frogs, the two epicoracoid bones are tightly connected in parallel without overlapping and cannot move in an interlocking way, which is called a firmisternal shoulder girdle; in toads, the epicoracoid bones on both sides overlap each other and can move in an interlocking way, which is called an arciferal shoulder girdle. In front of the inner ends of a frog's two clavicles there is a rod-shaped omosternum, and in front of the omosternum there is a semicircular cartilage, which is the episternum. Toads do not have these two bones.

8. Compare the vertebral centra

The first 7 vertebral centra of a frog are all cylindrical, concave at the front end and convex at the rear end, which is called procoelous, while the 8th vertebral centrum is amphicoelous; the first 8 vertebrae of a toad are all procoelous.

Toad epidermis is keratinized, so it is relatively drought-tolerant and can move about in dry environments far from water. Although the body colors of frogs and toads differ, they both have a protective effect in different living environments, and they vary greatly under environmental influence. A toad's jumping ability is far inferior to a frog's, but the poison glands protect it to a certain extent from being swallowed by carnivorous animals. Such organs are protective organs. Male frogs have a pair of vocal sacs, which are resonators for sound production. A frog's maxillary teeth are all homodont teeth. These teeth have no chewing function and only serve to prevent small animals from slipping out of the mouth. The presence or absence of teeth and their attachment positions, whether the tongue tip is forked, and the types of shoulder girdle and vertebral centra are all bases for classifying anurans. The differences in how the ureters and oviducts connect to the cloaca in frogs and toads are often an easily overlooked point of difference in dissection.

9. Identification of eggs

(1) Use a bamboo pole to hook frog eggs attached to aquatic plants to the edge of the pond, scoop up a cluster, and place it in a glass bottle for observation.

(2) Frog eggs are surrounded by an egg jelly membrane to form separate small spheres, which then gather into clusters of egg masses. Toad eggs are surrounded by an egg jelly membrane to form a continuous linear long band, with the eggs in the band arranged in 2 rows, and occasionally in 3 or more rows, looking just like a string of beads.

(3) Frogs and toads also differ in the timing of egg laying. Taking the Shanghai area as an example, toads lay eggs at the end of February, while frogs lay eggs from April to July.

10. Identification of tadpoles

(1) Observe whether the tadpoles swimming in the water are densely clustered or relatively scattered. The former are often toad tadpoles, while the latter are mostly frog tadpoles.

(2) Scoop up the tadpoles with a fishing net and place them in a glass bottle for observation, or place them on the palm of your hand for observation. Those with lighter body color, a slightly round body, a long tail, and a mouth at the front end of the head are frog tadpoles. Those with a black body and a lighter tail, an oval body shape, a short tail, and a mouth on the ventral side of the front end of the head are toad tadpoles.

(3) Observe the front end of the tadpole's head with a magnifying glass. The arrangement of their horny fine teeth also differs. They all have 3 rows of horny fine teeth below the lower lip, but the upper row of teeth in frogs is interrupted, while the 3 rows of fine teeth in toads are all unbroken.

(4) Most of what is seen around Qingming are toad tadpoles; frog tadpoles are not seen until about mid-May.

Latest frog prices:

According to market surveys, the regular price of frogs is 15-20, and the tiger frog is a bit more expensive at around 30. Compared with the north, the south is the main market for wild frogs. The price of wild frogs is very high, selling for 40 yuan to 50 yuan per kilogram, and they sell very well on the market.

Permits Required for Artificial Breeding:

Frogs are national second-class protected animals, so breeding frogs involves relatively many procedures, as follows:

1. Breeding permit: For the breeding permit, you first need to fill out a breeding application form, provide the corresponding qualification certification materials, and wait for review by the agriculture bureau. Once the review is passed, the breeding permit is issued.

2. Business license: A formal breeding farm needs to apply for a business license. The materials required for a business license include a rent contract, a copy of the property ownership certificate, a capital verification report, and so on.

3. Tax registration certificate: If the bred frogs need to be sold, the breeder also needs to apply for a tax registration certificate. The tax registration certificate can be applied for within 30 working days of receiving the business license.

4. Animal epidemic prevention certificate: To open a breeding farm, an animal epidemic prevention certificate is also very necessary. This certificate is reviewed and issued by the veterinary management department.

5. Wildlife domestication and breeding permit: The process for applying for this certificate is relatively complicated, and it is issued by the local provincial forestry department. Generally speaking, breeders not only need proof of a legal source of breeding stock and the business license of the breeding stock supplier, but also need proof of funds of more than 50,000 yuan.

6. Animal husbandry and veterinary qualification certificate: A frog breeding farm must have a veterinarian. If you do not have professional knowledge yourself, you can also choose to hire a professional animal husbandry veterinarian.