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RAUK - Archived Forum - Giant Tadpole

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Giant Tadpole:

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tgoacher
Member
Joined: 05 Dec 2004
No. of posts: 2


View other posts by tgoacher
Posted: 05 Dec 2004

I cleaned my garden pond out yesterday, which has a thriving frog community and I discovered the largest tadpole I have ever seen (see pic). I have only ever seen common frogs in the pond, so I assume something has gone wrong with the metamorphosis. Can anyone give me any further info?

Thanks in advance,

Tony Goacher


Danny13
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Oct 2004
No. of posts: 52


View other posts by Danny13
Posted: 05 Dec 2004
Wow, that is one big tadpole. The only thing i can suggest is that it might be some kind of genetic problem making it unable to complete the metamorphasis. Either that or its just a big fan of compulsive eating.
GemmaJF
Admin Group
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
No. of posts: 2090


View other posts by GemmaJF
Posted: 05 Dec 2004
Common frog tadpoles do sometimes fail to metamorphose it is often reported. Usually they over-winter and complete metamorphosis the following year. I can't really see from the picture but if you are sure it is a native tadpole but just rather big, leave him in the pond until next year and wish him well!
Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant
tgoacher
Member
Joined: 05 Dec 2004
No. of posts: 2


View other posts by tgoacher
Posted: 05 Dec 2004

He's safe and sound back in the pond now.  I'll let him get on with it. I just hope I wont need to get a bigger pond!

Thanks for your comments.

Tony

 


evilmike
Senior Member
Joined: 15 May 2004
No. of posts: 85


View other posts by evilmike
Posted: 05 Dec 2004
i always find that theres always a few that dont mature in their first year, these then have a good head start over their new brothers and sisters next year, and should emerge as froglets earlier that 2005s spawn. its quite common, may be brought on through cold summers, food shortages or just tadpoles that dont want to grow up hehe could make a gd project if not already done!
Mike Lister BSc hons Ecology & Env management
Daniel S
Member
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
No. of posts: 4


View other posts by Daniel S
Posted: 25 Mar 2005

Last May (2004) when I  was at my nans house i was looking in her pond and found and caught about 25 huge tadpoles they were about 4 inches long.I think i caught most of them so why were they all so big not just 1 or 2 ? They were like the one in the picture but had smaller heads and a few had back legs.

Daniel S38436.472974537
Daniel S
AJfr0ggy
Member
Joined: 08 Aug 2003
No. of posts: 28


View other posts by AJfr0ggy
Posted: 05 Apr 2005

Ive found one which has overwinteresd, which has well developed hind legs, and with probably be a froglet in the next couple of weeks. It is not big though, an absolute max of 1.5", probably smaller.

That one does look big. Do those eyes look a bit different???

 

Ajfr0ggy

 

 


Tony Phelps
Forum Specialist
Joined: 09 Mar 2003
No. of posts: 575


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Posted: 05 Apr 2005
Surely this is US bullfrog, if so knock it on the head. I found a few stragglers on display at a garden centre last year, and convinced the manager there to euthanise them.

Tony
David Bird
Forum Specialist
Joined: 17 Feb 2003
No. of posts: 515


View other posts by David Bird
Posted: 06 Apr 2005
Difficult to see from the photograph but does not really look like the tadpole of the American Bullfrog to me. Where abouts in the country is the pond where it was found.

David
British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker.
Daniel S
Member
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
No. of posts: 4


View other posts by Daniel S
Posted: 28 Apr 2005
aobut the tadpoles in my nans pond,they are definitely gone but they had smaller heads than the one in the picture and the tails were about 3 and a half inches only some had back legs an they were a brwony colour???????????????
Daniel S
renmew
Member
Joined: 31 Jan 2006
No. of posts: 1


View other posts by renmew
Posted: 31 Jan 2006
I bought three large tadpoles from an aquarium in
California for my classroom. They were bought in
mid-September, and as of today Jan 31st, have not
changed in the slightest. One did pass away
recently, but the other two are large and appear
healthy. When will these guys become frogs? They
are the very large type described above, almost three
inches long with a large grapeish head.
djp_phillips
Senior Member
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
No. of posts: 180


View other posts by djp_phillips
Posted: 31 Jan 2006
this reminds me of the Western Spadefoot:

Tadpole: Around 10 cm long (sometimes even up to 17 cm long!), crest
does not extends to body. Tail up to 2 times body length.The tadpole has
light spots on sides and a large eye.




How much did you pay for the tadpoles?
Western
Spadefoot

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