"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:48:34 -0000, "Pam Cook"
wrote:

hey... 1 lot of frogspawn this morning, in the pond Officiallly
spring... though it's blooming cold still

I can tell frogspawn from toadspawn, but what does newtspawn look like
(assuming it exists), and is there a simple way of distinguishing
toadpoles from frogpoles and newtpoles? I as because a few days ago I
saw a lot of almost hatched 'spawn in a small natural pond, but today
there was little sign of anything except a small longish tailed
creature about three inches long that wriggled into the mud and I
didn't get a good look at it but assume it was a newt.

Newts lay individual eggs, about 1.5 mm dia, clear, with small grey-black
centres. They hide the individual eggs within the leaves of various
pondweeds, Elodea being a favourite habitat. Newt tadpoles are very small
and skinny when hatched, usually pale brown and less than 1/4" long. They
develop legs quite quickly although so small, but keep their gills for a
long time. Even by September they may be only 1" long, and they will
probably leave the water then to overwinter under stones or in walls,
returning to the water in the spring to continue their growth. Three inches
is about the right length for an adult newt.

Frog tadpoles are very black, but I seem to recall that toad tadpoles are a
paler, brown colour.

HTH.

someone