Posted: 27 May 2003 at 11:16am | IP Logged

Hi

I have been directed to your site by Howard from Beautiful Britain, I have a query that I hope you can help with.  We have a large pond in our garden and have frogs that have laid spawn this year, but one clump was a creamy white colour, it developed the same as the black spawn and we have loads of tadpoles, thay all look similar but some are very black and others appear very dark brown with slightly lighter spots. We were wondering what the white spawn was? (We live in Blackpool.

Many thanks

Cheryl

Posted: 27 May 2003 at 1:27pm | IP Logged

Hi Cheryl,

there have been a few reports of white spawn and strangely coloured frogs recently. It has been suggested that it is due to inbreeding of the local frogs, perhaps because of small populations forming when spawn is introduced in isolated gardens. Both Martin and David have mentioned this recently so I expect they will have more to add.

The dark brown and lighter spotted tadpoles are Common Frog, it is possible that the black tadpoles are Common Toad, if it is a fairly large pond. Would be interesting to hear how the tadpoles develop and if the froglets appear normal.

(spawn will also turn white if caught by frost, but this spawn doesn't develop)

Posted: 27 May 2003 at 5:59pm | IP Logged

Interesting Cheryl, I have some photos of white spawn clumps that came from N. Yorks, that all hatched! I agree with the comments made above.

Martin.

Posted: 27 May 2003 at 9:13pm | IP Logged

David, I was jumping ahead a bit, I was referring to your reference to reports of strange coloured frogs in some areas, Martin has pictures to suggest that a clump of white spawn was associated with an orange frog. Come to think of it, there was a single clump of white embryo spawn in with many tens of normal Common Frog clumps at one of the Dartford sites this spring, that looked to be developing normally.