![]() We often hear about the massive habitat loss and die off of frogs around the globe of course these losses extend to tadpole, but tenfold. Tadpoles have been around for millions of years and today’s pond keepers are helping that to continue. Frogs are mostly solitary critters, they move on or have other fates like making that once in a lifetime mistake of asking a blue heron for directions. By 12 weeks they have become frogs and begin leaving the water, develop lungs, tougher skin, and that big ol’ frog mouth!įor pond keepers that enjoy having all these proto frogs and pollywogs boppin around the pond you may be disappointed that of the hundreds, maybe thousands, of eggs laid in your pond only a very small fraction of adult frog would reside at your pond. Tadpoles look really cool at this time being more like a tiny frog with a long tail. Around 8 weeks old they are developing legs and arms, at the same time the long tail is getting smaller and smaller. After hatching the tadpole will live off of the egg yolk for a week or so, and then begin to swim and live off of algae growing in the pond. The tadpole stage of a frogs metamorphosis begins at about 1-3 weeks when the frog egg hatches. They don’t need any special care or feeding in a backyard pond setting, tadpoles are fully self sufficient. They can even get into skimming systems, but like fish, they seem to know not to go there. ![]() Pond keepers should also be paying attention during this time for filter intakes getting plugged up (yikes), or tadpoles getting sucked into pumps (yucks). Pond keepers should enjoy this incredible fleeting display of nature happening in your backyard. The other usual suspects such as the heron, raccoon, snakes will also make meals of the tadpole when the opportunity is there. Large koi and other large pond fish may try the “pollywog du jour” for an occasional meal but they won’t make an impact on population counts. You’ll see them sitting in lily pots and other plant containers. ![]() Tadpoles enjoy basking in the sun, but they will be quick to scatter, with some pretty impressive bursts of speed. They mostly stay in schools stay in shallower areas and crowd into the edges of ponds. I’ve seen them embedded in algae growth, hanging around lily stems, free swimming. Tadpoles can be found in your pond just about everywhere once they hatch. Egg sacks are rounded and look like clear tapioca with little black dots. And there is no mistaking them when you see them.įor pond keepers frog egg sacks will typically be found along the edge of your pond. Their coloration can range from deep black to grey/green and their skin is very slick. Tadpoles have large heads in proportion to their bodies with 2 eyes and a small mouth, no legs or arms, and a long broad tail that they wiggle to propel themselves through the water. ![]() They only live in the water during this stage and breath with gills, but are still considered amphibious. A tadpole is the larval stage between egg and adult frog, and vary in sizes quite a bit depending on the type of frog or toad. Tadpoles congregate in huge schools as they develop and can easily take over some ponds for a few weeks every year. Tadpoles, or pollywogs as I called them as a kid in Georgia, are the metamorphic offspring of frogs and toads (salamanders, and newts too!). I realized that Egyptians must have experienced absolutely massive numbers of tadpoles filling the shorelines of the mighty Nile, and it made a bit more sense how a single tadpole could represent such a massive number as well as representing fertility and proliferation. The Egyptians endured some doozy like plagues, including a plague of frogs. I wondered why would a tadpole be used to represent this massive number? How did ancient Egyptians relate such a massive number to a puny tadpole? And then I remembered the plagues…. The image of a tadpole was drawn to represent the number and quantity of 100,000. I thought it was pretty cool that the tadpole made it into the sacred carvings of this ancient culture. I learned while researching this blog topic of tadpoles that the ancient Egyptians used the image of a tadpole in their system of hieroglyphics. TADPOLES IN YOUR BACKYARD WATER GARDEN POND ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |