 |
|
|
Mating Frogs 30th October: |
| Author | Message |
|
franni Member Joined: 30 Oct 2004 No. of posts: 3  View other posts by franni |
Posted: 30 Oct 2004 I've spent my whole life as a frog fan and have built ponds everywhere I have lived and always had frogs and spawn. So, I have a keen interest in their welfare and some knowledge of their habits and problems, but I'm an amateur. Today (30th October) I was gardening - I live in South London. I saw a movement under some plants and found these http://www.drfranni.co.uk/frogs.htm (Mating frogs) To be honest, I was a bit alarmed. Please could someone tell me that this is not unusual? I am also at a loss as to know what to do with the spawn - will it survive? if I bring it indoors, I will be left with a hundred little froglets in december and nowhere safe for them to go. All information and advice would be gratefully received |
|
GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090  View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 01 Nov 2004 I've heard reports of autumn spawn from reliable sources a couple of times before, though I've always been a little perplexed as I thought the females required a period of hibernation to produce eggs. (anyone want to correct me, feel free!). I'm not sure what the fate of the spawn was, though would have thought it would stand very little chance of hatching. Has the female actually produced spawn? I know that immature male frogs will sometimes grab females at the wrong time of year from simple over exuberance, this wouldn't be likely to result in spawn being produced.
Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
|
franni Member Joined: 30 Oct 2004 No. of posts: 3 View other posts by franni |
Posted: 01 Nov 2004 I would also have thought it was simply a frisky male (let's be honest, they will try to mate fish, rocks, my hand etc etc) but the female is clearly heavily pregnant. I generally have a huge surfeit of males in spring (In my pond, she said, hastily) I have no idea what is going on and will continue to trawl the net for advice. |
|
Donny Senior Member Joined: 11 May 2004 No. of posts: 53 View other posts by Donny |
Posted: 02 Nov 2004 For what it's worth, I have heard/read many times that Common Frogs regularly spawn in Autumn/Early Winter in the South West of England. |
|
franni Member Joined: 30 Oct 2004 No. of posts: 3 View other posts by franni |
Posted: 02 Nov 2004 Thank you - I confess that I had never heard of it before. I suppose London now qualifies as Torquay, in this strange new ecology. It hasn't even been an especially warm summer and it certainly wasn't a warm weekend! I will report further if I see spawn |
|
Robert V Senior Member Joined: 06 Aug 2004 No. of posts: 717 View other posts by Robert V |
Posted: 02 Nov 2004
In Lee bay in Devon, there is a small spring fed pool which is regularly frequented by very large tadpoles (latest date visited 14th November). I haven't visited it any later in the year so I don't know if it freezes or not. However, seeing as the pool still collects them every year, twenty years after I first noticed them, I've a feeling that they do survive for some reason. Why not give a section of your pond some protection from frost (some sort of temporary covering) and see if the tadpoles survive. I can't see them changing to terrestrial froglets before winter as there doesn't seem to be enough time left. you never know, you could prove conclusively, something that we've suspected for a while..... That tadpoles and dare I say it, grass snake eggs, can overwinter! R RobV |
- Mating Frogs 30th October |