Bufo

Buf

1. BUFO Bufo from latin,“Toad ” . Presentation by: Sushmita kant

2. True Frogs (Family Ranidae ) Moist and smooth skin Teeth in upper jaw Eyes bulge out from the body. Long, powerful jumping legs; most frogs have webbed hind feet. Eggs laid in clusters True Toads (Family Bufonidae ) Bumpy and dry skin No teeth Eyes do not bulge out from the body; a poison gland is located behind each eye. Shorter legs (for walking) Eggs laid in long chains (but a few toads give birth to young ones Frog v/s Toad

3.  Toads do not have the sticky long tongues that frogs have; the toad has to walk up to its food and cram it in its mouth

4. Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Sub phyllum : Vertebrata Super Class : Gnathostomata Class: Amphibia Subclass: Lissamphibia Order: Anura Family: Bufonidae Genus: Bufo Classification

5. Phylum : Chordata   ( those animals with spinal cords ) Sub-phylum : Vertebrata   (spinal cords protected by a backbone ) Super Class : Gnathostomata   (having a mouth with jaws ) Class : Amphibia   (means “ twin life ” – part in water, part on land ) Subclass : Lissamphibia (Modern amphibia without exoskeleton) Order : Anura   (means “ tail-less ”, Pentadactylous unequal limbs) Family : Bufonidae (these are the True Toads) Genus : Bufo (true toads) Classification

6. Toads are mainly found in dry places but can be found in moist places also, and almost on all the continents except in Polynesia and the island nation of Madagascar, along with certain isolated South Pacific islands. They are most abundant in the tropical regions The common toad usually moves by walking rather slowly or in short shuffling jumps involving all four legs . Nocturnal, It spends the day under foliage or beneath a root or a stone where its colouring makes it inconspicuous. Having no teeth, it swallows food whole in a series of gulps. They feed on Insects, grubs, slugs, worms, and other invertebrates. In defence they releases toxins and a bad-tasting secretion from its skin. These secretions make toads unattractive as food to most animals. Habit and Habitat

7. External Morphology The head is broad with a wide mouth below the terminal snout which has two small nostrils. There are no teeth .  The skin is dry and covered with small wart-like lumps. Just behind the eyes are two bulging regions, the paratoid glands . They contain a noxious substance,  bufotoxin , which is used to deter predators . The fore limbs are short with the toes of the fore feet turning inwards. There is no external vocal sac. The females are browner and the males greyer.

8. Internal Morphology The toad’s nervous system, which consists of its brain, spinal cord, and nerves, is highly developed.  The toad’s heart consists of two upper chambers, termed the right and left atrium and a single lower chamber, which is termed a ventricle. Whereas tadpoles have 2 chambered heart. Frog can respire through skin or via simple sac-like lungs . But Do not possess either a diaphragm or ribs, Whereas tadpoles have gills for respiration. Capture prey, which is passed by way of the esophagus to the stomach. A small intestine, large digestive glands, gall bladder, pancreas and liver, make up the remainder of the digestive system. Both liquid and solid waste leaves the body through the cloacal vent .

9. Toads Hibernation : They burrow down into the mud or leaf litter when it begins to get cold and lower their bodily functions to near death and sit . They are not freeze-tolerant and will die if they become too cold. warmer temperatures are the cue for emergence from hibernation. Once they emerge, thawing begins immediately.

10. Paratoid Gland : The  parotoid gland  (alternatively,  paratoid gland ) is an external skin  gland  on the back, neck, and shoulder of  toads  and some  frogs  and  salamanders . It secretes a milky  alkaloid  substance to deter predators. The substance,  bufotoxin , acts as a  neurotoxin .

11. Life cycle of Toads

12. Mating - Adult toads often mate in the water after summer rains. - During mating the male climbs onto the back of the female and wraps his front legs around her. This clasp is, amplexus . - Females are usually sexually mature at about three years old, while males are already mature enough to mate at about two years old. Eggs - The female lays eggs through cloaca in strings or strands. Male release sperm over these eggs. The eggs develop for a period of days to weeks, depending on the water temperature. As the temperature increases, so does the rate of development. Toads and frogs usually reproduce by means of external fertilization. Life cycle of Toads

13. The average frog or toad lives for 7 to 14 years while some live to be 40. Mating toads ( amplexus )

14. Tadpoles - Thousands of tiny black  tadpoles  hatch from the eggs in about a week and propel themselves through the water using their tails. They breathe through gills and cannot survive out of water. Immediately, the tadpoles begin eating algae and other plant material. Over the next month, the small tadpoles increase in size, grow legs and acquire lungs, undergo metamorphosis. T oadlets Toadlets are nearly adults. They have lungs, front and rear legs, but they still have a tail like tadpoles. - Toadlets live on land but they are still fragile and will dehydrate quite easily so frequently go into water.

15. In California, due to the popularity of “toad licking," it is illegal to possess Colorado River Toads, which produce a powerful hallucinogen called bufotoxin . Male fire-bellied toads have nuptial pads, enlarged bumps on their first and second fingers. These nuptial pads help aquatic frog hold on to females during breeding. Toads use their eyeballs to help swallow their prey. When threatened, the horned toad shoots blood from it's eyes   panamanian golden toads Fact file

16. Fire-bellied toad Horned toad The reproduction is unique in midwife toads where males care about the eggs.

17. These toads produce a neurotoxin in glands on either side of their head dogs ingest by mouthing or licking the toad.  These can cause neurologic signs including: increased heart rate, increased respiratory effort, bright red gum color, hallucinations, and potentially even seizures.  Colorado River Toads

18. Bufo sumatranus   Bufo tihamicus   Bufo valhallae   Bufo cophotis   Bufo corynetes   Bufo variegatus   Bufo alvarius   Bufo aucoinae   Bufo bocourti   Bufo campbelli   Bufo canaliferus  

19. –Predators and prey in the ecosystem Toads and frogs are right in the middle of the food chain and provide a very efficient transfer of solar energy.  They play an important role in consuming insects and are an important food source for birds, snakes, and other animals throughout the food web. –Pest control They help control insects that may be agricultural pests or carry diseases such as West Nile virus. –Medicine Frogs have been used extensively in medical research, and many Nobel prizes in medicine and physiology have involved frog studies. Why toads are important?

20. –Education and research The chemical compounds found in the skin secretions of frogs and toads are being studied for their human benefits – everything from non-addictive pain killers to cancer cures.  Frogs have been an important part of biology education for centuries, and the African Clawed Frog ( Xenopus laevis ) is the modern day “lab rat.”

21. Thank You!

22. Sushmita Kant B.Sc.(H) Zoology, 3 rd Sem Roll no: 0382 Submitted to : Amitabh Mathur