frogspawn

[Sal]

This is what a newt eft (newt tadpole) looks like... Awww, cute

[Sal]

And this is what newt spawn looks like - although smooth, palmate and great crested newts (UK) all lay their eggs singularly (if that is the correct word) rather than in clumps like frog spawn...

[Nicos]

Thanks for that Sal - I'd always wondered about newt spawn!
F&VV - so long as the spawn is wet, I suppose it'd be ok, although I would probably move it to a pond! Maybe Sal would know??

[Sal]

Hi F&VV,

As long as the spawn has been on damp/wetish grass and there hasn't been a frost you can move the spawn into water asap and it should still hatch, it will probably be ok if it hasn't dried out. If you have kids or are a big kid yourself - like me - you can put some in an old ice-cream tub full of rain water and watch the tadpoles hatch. If you check the spawn 2-3 days after moving it into water and the jelly looks a cloudy-white or the eggs look white I'm afraid they have gone to frogspawn heaven.

The reason lady frogs lay spawn on land is that they sometimes get caught short before getting to a pond. If they get disturbed while 'full' they may spawn where they are, it's just a defence mechanism. Spawn on the grass may get rained on, washed into a river, lake or ditch and survive. Spawn inside a frogs tummy inside a foxes tummy won't survive. The frogs have obviously paid this quite a bit of thought!

Bear in mind it will only hatch if the lady frog was lucky enough to have a man frog on her back at the time to fertilise the spawn. Ahhh, frog romance.

[fruit&vegvirgin]

cant find the spawn anymore sal... tis obviously my fault she did it where she did, because I was mowing the grass - lucky I didnt run her over I guess.

eskymo - those swimming ponds are big in Germany. I quite liked the idea til I realised I'd have to swim with fishes... cue mafia style joke!

[eskymo]

tee hee!

I just checked on my frog spawn in the pond and the little frogsters are beginning to wriggle - I gues they are all about 5mm long now and some are breaking out of the jelly and moving about! It's pouring down with rain at the moment, so when the weather clears I'll take a picture to post.

[Sal]

Ah well, dont worry F&VV, I strongly believe in survival of the fittest so she must've been a fast frog to leap out of the way of the blades and drop her spawn at the same time - her next lot of spawn will make super fast froglets. Faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap tall buildings with a single bound AND able to leap out of the way of cars, mowers and the odd fox or two - lol

[Nicos]

The most froglets I have ever seen was a few years ago at Centre Parcs in Nottingham on the late bank holiday weekend.Thousands would be an undestatement...and hundreds more had been cycled over on the paths (probably not seen until it was too late) If anyone is there this coming week, keep a look out for them!