MadCow wrote:
In message , Wolf
[..]
I don't know whether frogs spawn according to daylength or temperature?

I can't recall, I believe it's temperature.

Either way, they must be resistant to late frosts because they usually
spawn well before the traditional last cold snap in mid-April.

I look forward to boring you with pictures of froglets...

A cold snap is unlikely to freeze the water, and IIRC tadpoles don't
tolerate freezing. Water crystals tend to puncture the cell walls. So
the trick to be mastered is to be able to cool below 0C without
freezing. I know that some amphibians can do so, but AFAIK they all live
in the high Arctic. The proteins in the tadpoles themselves, and in
jelly surrounding the eggs, reduce the freezing temperature below 0C, so
that your tadpoles may become quite cold during a cold snap, but not
frozen. I think their metabolism stops (it's been a long time since I
learned about these matters. :-)) Like other exothermic animals, they
can tolerate long spells of very low or even suspended metabolism.

I think you're right, these wigglers will survive. I don't find pictures
of frogs boring at all!

--

Wolf

"Don't believe everything you think." (Maxine)