Post by glowtoad on Oct 8, 2020 22:12:00 GMT
We've all heard the saying, sometimes from an overzealous parent and sometimes from a person that simply thinks amphibians are gross: "Don’t touch that toad! It'll give you warts!" The truth of the matter? It definitely won't. However, because of their natural and protective accouterment, it's probably still a good idea to let sleeping toads lie.
No one really knows exactly where this rumor came from, probably because it's been around for a long time. Baby boomers and millennials alike have pretty much all been told as children they were going to get warts if they tried to handle toads.
Still, it seems like a case of misplaced human logic. Toads have bumps on their backs, the bumps look kind of similar to warts and warts can be contagious. Therefore, people go around thinking human warts and toad bumps are the same things; and that the latter will cause the former.
There are many different types of warts, around fifty or so, but none of them are caused by toads or frogs. They are instead caused by the human papillomavirus (or HPV), which can result in the multiplication of cells on the outside of your skin, creating a bump. Warts aren't dangerous, treating them usually isn't a problem and in no way are they caused by amphibians.
However, this isn't an endorsement to run outside and start picking up hopping creatures. The bumps that distinguish a toad from a frog and made everyone believe these creatures could cause warts are actually often glands. The glands on certain toads can secrete toxins meant to protect the toad and to keep animals in the wild from eating them. These toxins can also burn human skin in some cases.
By Julia Tilford, contributor for Ripleys.com
Source:https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/
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No one really knows exactly where this rumor came from, probably because it's been around for a long time. Baby boomers and millennials alike have pretty much all been told as children they were going to get warts if they tried to handle toads.
Still, it seems like a case of misplaced human logic. Toads have bumps on their backs, the bumps look kind of similar to warts and warts can be contagious. Therefore, people go around thinking human warts and toad bumps are the same things; and that the latter will cause the former.
There are many different types of warts, around fifty or so, but none of them are caused by toads or frogs. They are instead caused by the human papillomavirus (or HPV), which can result in the multiplication of cells on the outside of your skin, creating a bump. Warts aren't dangerous, treating them usually isn't a problem and in no way are they caused by amphibians.
However, this isn't an endorsement to run outside and start picking up hopping creatures. The bumps that distinguish a toad from a frog and made everyone believe these creatures could cause warts are actually often glands. The glands on certain toads can secrete toxins meant to protect the toad and to keep animals in the wild from eating them. These toxins can also burn human skin in some cases.
By Julia Tilford, contributor for Ripleys.com
Source:https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/
