Most of the toadpoles in our local pond have begun to produce legs now and will be leaving the water within a couple of weeks. In this water flea's-eye-view you can see the nostrils fully formed, as the tadpole switches from gills to air-breathing.
Hundreds of toadpoles are congregating in the shallow, warm water around the edge of the pond, where...
... they surface to gulp air with increasing frequency.
Some parts of the pond are beginning to resemble toadpole soup. Only a tiny proportion will survive to adulthood and make it back to the pond to breed in future years.
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Great captures Phil.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably a good thing they don't all survive. We'd be over run with toads lol
We didn't have any tadpoles this year in our garden pond. I think the local frogs may not have survived the very long, super-cold spell during the winter. It's good to see that yours are doing well.
ReplyDeletecheers,
Wilma
Hi Keith, yes, if all the toads in this pond reached adulthood there would be hordes of them...
ReplyDeleteHi Wilma, They do seem to have boom and bust years, don't they? I guess the conditions for hibernation must be a critical factor... cheers, Phil
ReplyDelete