As a child, every frog I've ever played with has reacted this way.

As an adult, however...

The toad's main defense is the poison in it's skin on it's back and the top of it's head. It's trying to defend itself by keeping the poisoned areas where the attention is. It's terrified and is acting defensively.

>> ^robbersdog49:
The toad's main defense is the poison in it's skin on it's back and the top of it's head. It's trying to defend itself by keeping the poisoned areas where the attention is. It's terrified and is acting defensively.


Really?

Ok, that's enough, into the pot with the rest

[redacted]

[redacted]

Tags for this video have been changed from 'frog, cuddly, lovable, affectionate' to 'frog, cuddly, lovable, affectionate, Billy Joel, Stranger' - edited by Trancecoach

*music

Adding video to channels (Music) - requested by Trancecoach.

Why is this video not in focus? I thought it was about the frog, not the background.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'frog, cuddly, lovable, affectionate, Billy Joel, Stranger' to 'frog, cuddly, lovable, affectionate, Billy Joel, Stranger, poison defenses' - edited by peggedbea

yes, really.

in high school i interned with a herpetologist in the biology department of a university. so people would find freakish amphibians or reptiles around town and bring them to us. i would have to study them, catalog them and report them. i thought this was incredibly adorable when the 6 legged little nuclear freak show toads would do this. the little kid in my head decided it must be a gift!! and i would grow up to the worlds most amazing herpetologist and live my life on perpetual field expeditions!!..... until the professor came in, saw me petting a toad affectionately and cooing at it, and informed me that i was in fact scaring the shit out of him and he was trying to poison me.

my childlike dreams, CRUSHED!!!

>> ^Matthu:
>> ^robbersdog49:
The toad's main defense is the poison in it's skin on it's back and the top of it's head. It's trying to defend itself by keeping the poisoned areas where the attention is. It's terrified and is acting defensively.

Really?

Yes, really.

Doesn't look so cute now does it?

>> ^Matthu:
Really?

>> ^furrycloud:
Why is this video not in focus? I thought it was about the frog, not the background.


It is about the frog... The one in the background!

> Why is this video not in focus? I thought it was about the frog, not the background.


look in the background... when you see it, yer gonna shit

^Holy Crap!

>> ^robbersdog49:
The toad's main defense is the poison in it's skin on it's back and the top of it's head. It's trying to defend itself by keeping the poisoned areas where the attention is. It's terrified and is acting defensively.


And yet the toad is making no attempt to escape.

Why is it that when someone posts a video like this, there's always someone who has to sniffily try and make out some kind of animal cruelty is going on, or something awful has happened to the animal in the past?

"Actually kittens are terrified when they play with string."
"Dogs only chase flashlight beams if they've been abused as puppies."
"Hamsters run in wheels as a display of what's known as cage-stress."
"Otters only float on their backs holding hands if their sexual development was interrupted at the pre-Oedipal stage."

I mean, ffs.

The toad isn't trying to escape because it's just not fast enough. A frog would try to hop away, it can move fast. Evolution has taught the toads that their best chance for survival is to react as you're seeing here. It's not running away because it can't run away, not fast enough to be effective. It's got poison glands all over it's back and it's trying to use them. Just because you don't understand the behavior it doesn't mean you can arbitrarily assign your own meaning to it and that becomes the truth. Sorry.

Besides this, what have all the rest of your straw men got to do with anything? I mean seriously?
>> ^FlowersInHisHair:
>> ^robbersdog49:
The toad's main defense is the poison in it's skin on it's back and the top of it's head. It's trying to defend itself by keeping the poisoned areas where the attention is. It's terrified and is acting defensively.

And yet the toad is making no attempt to escape.
Why is it that when someone posts a video like this, there's always someone who has to sniffily try and make out some kind of animal cruelty is going on, or something awful has happened to the animal in the past?
"Actually kittens are terrified when they play with string."
"Dogs only chase flashlight beams if they've been abused as puppies."
"Hamsters run in wheels as a display of what's known as cage-stress."
"Otters only float on their backs holding hands if their sexual development was interrupted at the pre-Oedipal stage."
I mean, ffs.

Mmm... oh yeah... left a little.. and the other side... o-o-o-oh... a-a-a-ah... now the head... yeah... Woah, WTF!!! Watch where you're sticking that thing lady! I mean, did you think that was appropriate? Seriously? You'll be hearing from my lawyer...

>> ^peggedbea:
yes, really.
in high school i interned with a herpetologist in the biology department of a university. so people would find freakish amphibians or reptiles around town and bring them to us. i would have to study them, catalog them and report them. i thought this was incredibly adorable when the 6 legged little nuclear freak show toads would do this. the little kid in my head decided it must be a gift!! and i would grow up to the worlds most amazing herpetologist and live my life on perpetual field expeditions!!..... until the professor came in, saw me petting a toad affectionately and cooing at it, and informed me that i was in fact scaring the shit out of him and he was trying to poison me.
my childlike dreams, CRUSHED!!!
>> ^Matthu:
>> ^robbersdog49:
The toad's main defense is the poison in it's skin on it's back and the top of it's head. It's trying to defend itself by keeping the poisoned areas where the attention is. It's terrified and is acting defensively.

Really?


...isn't a herpetologist what you would call your gynecologist?

Just because you don't understand the behavior it doesn't mean you can arbitrarily assign your own meaning to it and that becomes the truth. Sorry.



My point exactly.


Besides this, what have all the rest of your straw men got to do with anything? I mean seriously?



Comedy.

Erm, he's not assigning his own meaning, it's the truth.

The local cane toads, when accosted by my dog, sit still and puff right up (as that toad in the video is) which get's their poison flowing, and will always keep their back facing the inquisitive dog so that the greatest surface area is exposed to the mouth. That is what they do when they are threatened, the logical extrapolation of that is they are scared.

>> ^Mcboinkens:
>> ^Longswd:
Ok, that's enough, into the pot with the rest

I've been on VS a while, and this is the first comment that has literally made me laugh out loud. +1


same, needs more upvotes