A Photographer In Canada Found A Toad With Eyes In Its Mouth, And Scientists Were Baffled
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Published May 22, 2026, 11:00 PM EDT
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The planet is full of strange and unusual animals that you wouldn't believe exist, from the bizarre "lipstick-wearing" fish that can't swim and the world's most unusual bright pink dolphin to one of the rarest creatures known as a "pink fairy." All of these animals are naturally quirky, but some animals look weird accidentally. This was the case with a certain toad.<br>A photographer in Canada found a toad with eyes in its mouth, a discovery which baffled scientists at the time. But what's even more astounding is the fact that this is a lot more common in amphibians like toads than you might think. Why did this toad have eyes inside its mouth? The story is a fascinating one.
Photographer Scott Gardner Captured A Photo Of A Toad With Eyes In Its Mouth
In 1992, a photographer named Scott Gardner was in Burlington County, Ontario, Canada, working for The Hamilton Spectator. Gardner received a call about a toad with eyes in its mouth. He was curious to check it out, even though a small part of him thought it might be a prank.<br>Nevertheless, Gardner went to the family's backyard where the toad was found, and sure enough, there was a toad that lacked eye sockets, and instead, the toad's eyes were in its mouth.
Some people refer to the animal in the photograph as a frog, but it is actually a toad. Frogs and toads are members of the same order, but the differences between the two are subtle and include unique leg length, skin texture, habitat, and vocalizations, among others. Essentially, all toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads.
Gardner captured a photo of the toad, and it was published in The Hamilton Spectator. It quickly circulated throughout Canada and the United States and was featured in notable works, including Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins.<br>The photograph was also featured in several showcases, and Scott Gardner called it the most iconic image of his career. Even today, the image still circulates on social media, leaving people to wonder if it's actually real.
The Frog With Eyes In Its Mouth Was Real And Is More Common Than People Think
Frogs and toads can be odd, like a certain frog species' females that fake their own deaths to get out of mating. But the fact that a toad was found with eyes in its mouth still seemed to be a little too strange to be true.<br>The image even baffled scientists as to how it could be possible. But it turns out that this is a real thing, even proven to be true by Snopes. And, although it's uncommon, it has been seen more than once in amphibians. The toad's eyes being in its mouth is the result of a genetic macromutation.
What Is A Macromutation?
A macromutation significantly alters an organism's structure. In frogs and toads, macromutations are often seen in the legs, which may be missing or malformed. But in this case, the macromutation caused the eye sockets to be missing and the eyes to grow from the palate of the mouth instead.<br>Scientists still aren't quite sure what causes these macromutations in frogs and toads in the first place. But they think it is likely the result of a parasitic infection from a trematode, which has been known to cause limb mutations in amphibians.
Frogs And Toads With This Mutation Can Still Live Normal Lives
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Cane toadCredit: ID 5895963 © Sam D\'cruz | Dreamstime.com
A frog or toad with eyes in its mouth can still live a normal life. Their eyes still work; they're just in the wrong place. If nothing else, the frog can open its mouth to see.<br>What's interesting about frogs and toads is that even if they have a normal eye placement, they may retract their eyes when they eat. When a frog starts to swallow, their eyes retract into their mouth and help to push food down their throat if the food is something larger, like a cricket.
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This was confirmed by a 2004 study of northern leopard frogs, and some frogs can retract both eyes at the same time or just one eye.<br>So, even though some frogs have eyes in their mouth as a result of a...