What's this creature I've found in my pond?

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Comments

  • Pituophis
    Pituophis Posts: 1,025
    Anything that mutated is obviously highly infectious, for god's sake don't pick it u........ can I have your bike?
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,312
    Capt Slog wrote:
    craker wrote:
    We've got newts, the grown ups are no where near that size (and shape). My guess it's a frog whose transformation from tadpole has gone weird. In some strange way.

    I think you're right.

    Normally you get very tiny but fully formed frogs after they lose their tails, they tend to be about half the body length of the one in that pic. This one looks like it has grown on in the wrong stage of development. I've heard that this happens when certain elements are missing from their diet/water, I believe that it's iodine.

    Capt Slog - the David Bellamy of the BR forum.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • DesB3rd
    DesB3rd Posts: 285
    The photo is ~1:1 scale or greater (unless the OP has tiny lady-hands) so that is a bloody huge transitional frog-tadpole!

    I remember as a kid the tadpoles would get bigger/fatter until they were about 1cm long in the body and then grow legs & a more defined head etc, all without growing much more - the recognisably complete proper frog/toad would emerge less than 15mm long. This thing is 30+mm long...
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,312
    DesB3rd wrote:
    The photo is ~1:1 scale or greater (unless the OP has tiny lady-hands) so that is a bloody huge transitional frog-tadpole!

    I remember as a kid the tadpoles would get bigger/fatter until they were about 1cm long in the body and then grow legs & a more defined head etc, all without growing much more - the recognisably complete proper frog/toad would emerge less than 15mm long. This thing is 30+mm long...

    Maybe it has taken performance enhancing drugs.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • tyred&weary
    tyred&weary Posts: 243
    Not native to the UK, but it looks like a young salamander.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,312
    Tyred&weary wrote:
    Not native to the UK, but it looks like a young salamander.

    Another potential challenge for Mr Bond?
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • Buckie2k5
    Buckie2k5 Posts: 600
    Capt Slog wrote:

    Normally you get very tiny but fully formed frogs after they lose their tails, they tend to be about half the body length of the one in that pic. This one looks like it has grown on in the wrong stage of development. I've heard that this happens when certain elements are missing from their diet/water, I believe that it's iodine.

    Iodine you say, so the right thing to do would be to pee on it.
  • capt_slog
    capt_slog Posts: 3,973
    If you say so. I didn't know that there was lots of iodine in piss.

    But sadly, if it is the case that the creature needed iodine, then it's likely that it's too late now. As I understand it, it has to have the right 'triggers' at the right time.

    Someone once told me that it's sort of a population control device and stops there being all of the hatch growing up and competing for the same food. So, there's only so much iodine to be had in a given system, and when this is used up, some tadpole don't make it and die off. This is better for the hatch as a whole than all of them getting to be frogs and then dying of stavation.
    This could of course be bollocks and I was told a load of rubbish, but there go. :lol:


    The older I get, the better I was.

  • natrix
    natrix Posts: 1,111
    A herptologist from the RAUK forum suggested a female smooth newt with massive oedema perhaps as a result of parasitic worms in lymphatic system.
    ~~~~~~Sustrans - Join the Movement~~~~~~
  • homers_double
    homers_double Posts: 8,279
    Pft, what would they know!
    Advocate of disc brakes.

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