Susan Whitecotton, age 11, of Visalia, California, for her question:

How are frogs different from toads?

Baby frogs and toads are sooty black tadpoles that live in the water. Often it is very hard to tell which is which. But in most cases, we can tell the adult frogs from the adult toads. Most of the frogs are slimmer than the toads and their back legs are longer. Often the frogs wear greens and other fancy colors. The average toad is a chunky, flattish fellow with a warty skin of a drab brownish color.

Usually we can tell which is which from where they live. The frog never goes very far away from the water where he spent his tadpole days. The graceful creature is a champion swimmer and diver and he spends lots of time in his private pond. The stodgy toad usually hop hop hops away to spend his adult life among moist and shady greenery. He is often found far from the water.