“You can get warts from touching a toad.”

The idea that touching a toad will give you warts is a classic piece of folklore, often passed down through generations. This persistent misconception likely originated from the visual similarity between the rough, bumpy skin of many toads and the appearance of human warts. People observed these amphibians with their textured skin and, perhaps assuming contagiousness, linked them to the development of skin growths.

However, scientific evidence clearly busts this myth. Warts in humans are caused exclusively by the human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus that is specific to humans. There are over 100 different types of HPV, and specific strains cause warts on various parts of the body. Toads simply do not carry the human papillomavirus and therefore cannot transmit it to people.

The "warts" seen on a toad's skin are actually specialized glands, not infectious growths. Many of these are parotoid glands, which can secrete a milky, sometimes toxic, substance as a defense mechanism against predators. While these secretions can be irritating if they come into contact with a person's eyes or mouth, they pose no risk of causing warts. The belief persists largely due to the striking visual resemblance and the historical lack of understanding about viral infections, making the toad a convenient, albeit innocent, scapegoat for these common skin conditions.