Who doesn’t love a chubby baby? Here we see two specimens of western spadefoot toad [Spea hammondii], both tadpoles at different stages of development. It’s a race against the clock for this desert dwelling species, which has to complete development before their temporary breeding pond dries up. Tadpoles take around 30 to 80 days to morph into frogs, but higher temperatures accelerate this process. Images by Kyle McCann.
Happy International Earth Day (today) along with some wicked frog images of the rarely seen tiny frog species Crinia sloani and the moderately well-known Limnodynastes fletcheri, both with quite specific habitat requirements in the face of similar species in the same genera that are more broad ranging.
Images taken from the field in far north Victoria.
Learn more about the relevant species in the big papers of 2020 including at:
Here we see a captive-raised green frog [Lithobates clamitans; formerly Rana clamitans] displaying partial leucism. Often mistaken for albinism, leucistic frogs are only lacking pigment in certain areas, and still retain pigment in their eyes. This individual was found as a tadpole in a pond in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Images by Daniel F. Hughes.
Hi I’m raising African Dwarf Frog tadpoles for fun and because my frogs decided to procreate. They are tiny and cute. This is Taddeus, he is the biggest tadpole - actually now a froglet, he is about a month old, and will soon lose his tiny tail and become a frog. He is about two centimetres long, including his tail. I’m obsessed with him.