04-11-2005, 02:06 PM
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Frog development
wrote:
Ahem, ribit. Anyone know much about frogs out there?
Last May I put 3 large tadpoles from the pet store into my 400 gallon
pond, here in San Francisco. They are rana pipiens, and I was told
they'd develop into frogs by August. Well, here in early November,
they look pretty much like large tadpoles still. One has larger (rear)
legs, but I don't see any development of front legs.
Last weekend I went to a different pet store to replenish my supply of
elodea plants, which the local raccoons think is a delicacy. There
were small frogs there (from Japan I was told) and I purchased 2, let
them go, and they've quickly disappeared, which I expected to happen.
Please don't do that. The world does _not_ need people deliberately
releasing foreign species into the wild. We have enough trouble with it
happening accidentally. Do you realize that you've probably confessed to a
criminal act?
I don't know if Leopard Frogs (I'm really surprised they're even available
in stores) are native to California, but it's for sure that Japanese frogs
won't be.
Anyway, the owner of this pet store says that tadpoles won't develop
into frogs unless the water level gets low, and they're forced to.
Most tadpoles will develop in the first summer, but bullfrogs often don't
morph until their second year. I've never heard that they need to be
"forced", though I suspect drying puddles _will_ spur the development of
legs and absorption of the tail.
--
derek
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