Getting tadpoles early

[j.w]

I expect each one of you who listen to that song to have it embedded in your memory banks forever

 

[SmithRiverPond]

Very cute JW. I am trying your trick with the batting in a mesh bag to help clear the pond. I can't even see my fish right now. We are expecting rain tonight, so I emptied some of the water out while cleaning the filter this afternoon. Maybe some nice, fresh rain water will help.

 

[j.w]

That batting really helps clear the fine gunk from the water. Just be sure to clean/rinse it quite often at first. It takes awhile sometimes. It's always raining here in the Spring/Fall/Winter and sometimes the summer so my pond is always getting a refill. Depending on what kind of rain ph you have it can change your water chemistry to higher or lower ph. Ours is pretty much neutral at 7 so that's a help.

 

[CountryEscape]

SmithRiverPond those eggs are very cute and tiny! You will have to let us know when you have tadpoles, but bet they will be equally difficult to find. Good luck!

 

[SmithRiverPond]

I am going to attempt to keep a photo journal of their progress. My daughter is a teacher in Southern California and showed the pictures to her 5th-grade class, as well as my grandkids, and they thought it was awesome! The grandkids have been here when the tadpoles were in the pond and really enjoyed them. The frogs sound a whole lot bigger than they are.

 

[CountryEscape]

Yes, it seems the tinier the frog, the bigger the voice! I had Northern Cricket Frogs on my pond last year. Never noticed any tadpoles, assumed maybe they came as adults, but now thinking as many as I had, probably had tadpoles, too, just never noticed them, as my pond was brand new and I was concerned with the water clarity in the beginning. I also had bullfrogs, but only heard them "croak" a few times. They are also on my farm pond, and in the ditch in front of my house across the road (that's where Grand Daddy Bullfrog lived last year ...) and did not hear them much. Not sure if I just was not outside when they were in their mating season time frame (i.e., was at work) or if they are just not very mouthy. LOL
Here's the Northern Cricket Frog. As you can see, they all have different patterns on them, very cool little guys, maybe 1.5" long at most.

This frog is larger, not sure if it's a young bullfrog or different type, but he was VERY friendly, and looks like he's smiling at the camera.

And this bullfrog I dubbed King Arthur, because he always seemed to be sitting on a stone (throne) instead of in the water like the others.

 

[addy1]

You can tell bull frogs by the fact their ear membrane is large and they do not have the ridges that run down both sides of the back.

Here is a good write up about them. The tads can take up to 3 years to morph into frogs.

http://www.bullfrogs...n-Bullfrog.html

Sound like they eat any and everything they can catch..

 

[SmithRiverPond]

My little guys are the California Red-Legged frog...

You can see last year's tadpoles along the edge of the pond.

The frog family is sunning together...

This one may be a baby...

 

[j.w]

Wowser, those bullfrogs can even eat bats! Wonder if they can catch them in flight or if they only get them when sitting still?

 

[CountryEscape]

Addy, the part you wrote about them not having the ridges that run down both sides of their back, is the picture I put a bullfrog? It sure looks like it does have the ridges, but maybe I'm not understanding that part, as my picture looks like the website you put. I am misunderstanding, I'm sure. Or, did you maybe mean that they DO have ridges down both sides? Either way, they are large frogs, and fun to watch catch bugs.
Smith, your last frog picture looks more spotted, kind of like leopard frogs around here. Neat pics! Love the trio sunning together.

 

[SmithRiverPond]

That could very well be, CountryEscape. I don't know that much about frogs, only what I can find online to identify them. There are a whole bunch of frog types in Northern California, and most have spots of some sort or another.

 

[addy1]

Here is help on id'ing bull frogs.

http://nielsbjornson.../frog_hist.html

Take a look here country
http://www.bullfrogc...rog_or_not.html

To identify the bullfrog, look at the ridge over its eardrum (tympanic membrane). On the bullfrog, it goes straight over the tympanum and then curves down, around the membrane. Click here to open a picture that points out the identifying marks. You can see in this picture that the ridge forms a distinctive curve that is characteristic of the bullfrog.

To determine the sex of a bullfrog, there are two main indicators. First and most obvious is the tympanic membrane. In the female, this mambrane is aproximately the same size as the frogs eye. In the male, this membrane is usually larger than its eye.