Do Toads Give You Warts? The Myth and the Real Toad Skin

What really causes warts?

Warts are small, rough growths on the skin caused by human papillomaviruses, usually shortened to HPV. There are many types of HPV, and a few of them cause the common warts seen on hands, fingers and the soles of the feet.

The virus infects the outer layer of skin, often through a tiny scratch or cut, and makes skin cells grow faster than normal, producing a hard, raised lump. It spreads by direct skin-to-skin contact with someone who has warts, or indirectly through shared items and damp surfaces such as towels, swimming pool decks and shower floors. Warts are very common, especially in children and teenagers.

Human papillomaviruses infect only humans. Toads carry their own viruses and bacteria, but none of them causes human warts. So whatever you may have heard on the playground, a toad is not a source of warts.

What are the bumps on a toad?

The “warts” on a toad are a normal, healthy part of its skin. Each bump is a raised area of skin containing glands, and the larger ones often have small dark or horny tips. Unlike human warts, they are present from the time a young toad leaves the water, they do not spread or come and go, and they are not caused by infection.

Amphibian skin has two main kinds of glands:

• Mucous glands keep the skin moist and help the toad take in water and some oxygen through its skin.
• Granular glands, also called poison glands, produce bitter defensive chemicals that make toads unpleasant to eat.

In toads, many granular glands are packed into the bumps, and the largest collections form the two oval swellings behind the eyes, the parotoid glands. When a predator bites a toad, these glands release a milky secretion containing toxins known as bufotoxins. You can read how this works in Are toads poisonous?

The rough, dry, earth-colored skin has a second job: camouflage. A brown, bumpy toad sitting in leaf litter or on bare soil is very hard to spot. Its thicker, less permeable skin also helps it survive farther from water than most frogs, one of the main features separating the two groups. See frog vs toad for more differences.

Where did the toad and wart myth come from?

No one knows exactly when people began to believe that toads cause warts, but it is easy to see why the idea caught on. Toad bumps look a lot like human warts, and both appear on rough, lumpy skin. In everyday language the bumps are even called warts, which makes the connection seem natural.

Folklore helped too. In medieval and early modern Europe, toads were widely seen as ugly, ominous creatures linked with witches, poisons and the Devil. Many superstitions grew around them, and blaming toads for warts fitted well with that reputation. Curiously, some old folk remedies took the opposite view and used toads in attempts to cure warts.

A third reason may be that toad secretions really can irritate the skin and eyes. Someone who handled a toad and later noticed a sore patch or a new wart could easily link the two, even though the wart virus would have been picked up elsewhere, often weeks earlier.

Is it still a good idea to handle toads?

Even though toads do not cause warts, it is best to enjoy them by watching rather than handling them. Their skin secretions can cause stinging, redness or a burning feeling if they reach the eyes, mouth or a cut. Some species, especially the cane toad and the Colorado River toad, produce much stronger toxins that can be dangerous if swallowed.

Handling can also harm the toad. Amphibian skin is thin and absorbent, and traces of soap, salt, sunscreen or insect repellent on human hands can damage it. Many frightened toads also release water from their bladder when picked up, which leaves them short of water they need on land.

If you do need to move a toad off a road, for example on a spring migration night, wet your hands first or use a container, and wash your hands well afterward. Never touch your eyes or mouth after handling a toad. If anyone swallows toad secretion or feels unwell after contact with a toad, seek emergency medical help immediately: call 911 in the US, 112 in the EU or 999 in the UK.

Toads you are likely to meet

In Europe the most familiar species is the common toad, a brown, warty toad with copper eyes that lives in gardens, woods and fields. In eastern North America the backyard toad is usually the American toad, which is similar in shape and usually brown, gray or reddish, with one or two warts in each of the dark spots on its back.

Both are harmless to people who leave them alone, both eat large numbers of insects and slugs, and neither can give you warts. They are welcome visitors to any garden.