A Frog Pond » motorbike frogs

Tadpoles not developing

Lisa — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:43:40 +0000

Tim contacted me with a difficult problem. He told me that he has had great success with tadpoles and frogs in the past, happily distributing taddies all over his neighbourhood, to schools and backyard ponds of willing recipients, but in the last two years, his tadpoles have not been developing into frogs. The taddies he has passed on don’t seem to have had the same problem, but in his own backyard pond system they have been arrested in their development.

I have written about this phenomenon before in Competitive Edge. As newly formed frogs emerge from the water they emit a hormone that inhibits the growth of tadpoles still in the water (it helps eliminate any competition for food). This hormone can build up in the water, after quite a few frogs have crawled out and the water level has dropped due to evaporation and the likes, and you can end up with taddies that seem to stay tadpoles for a year or more.

Before I knew about this little trick I had some tadpoles in my pond which had been there forever, so I bought them inside and put them in a fish tank to watch them and figure out why they weren’t growing. But within a week they all sprouted legs and started losing their tails. I quickly transferred them back outside and they continued on their journey through life. I wanted to know why so I did some research and that is when I learnt about the inhibiting hormone. I guessed it was the change of water which had the desired effect.

I advised Tim to try changing his water in his ponds, but he says he has already tried that. I wasn’t able to suggest anything else to help him with his problem.

Can anyone out their help Tim?

Tadpole Telegraph

Lisa — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:32:57 +0000

Clive contacted me recently with a story about his dearly departed Green Tree frogs. It seems he had them in his yard for about 8 years! But they have disappeared and he believes they may have died of old age. He said that the Motorbike frogs have moved in and are doing very well, but he is desperate to re-establish the Green Tree frog population and asked me for my advice on getting some tadpoles for his pond.

My advice on getting taddies is to ask around. You will be surprised how many people have frogs in their backyards and are more than happy to share stories and tadpoles. It is best to get tadpoles from your immediate neighbourhood, within about a 5km radius, as that way the new frogs have ponds in their range and there is less possibility of spreading disease if you keep things close to home.

The WA Museum also has a tadpole register where you can register your name and contact details and if a suitable match comes up in your area they will hook you up! Check out the website Frogwatch.

I hope this helps all those who are seeking taddies to start forming networks in their own communities and create a Tadpole Telegraph! What a fabulous way to bring people together in these troubled times. Save the frogs and make friends while you do it!

Can you hear the frogs calling?

Lisa — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:16:14 +0000

Jacob emailed me recently with a question about frog calls. Here is what he had to say.

We have a large lake right next to our house (we are so lucky!!!), so I have built a pond. So far I have seen two motorbike frogs in the garden.

At the lake you hear hundreds of motorbike frogs, but you never hear any Slender tree frogs or any other frogs. In the pond there are tall rushes so I thought there would be. Is it possible that you can’t hear the slender tree frogs???

This is the answer I sent back to him.

I’m not one hundred per cent sure about your lake, and the frogs that might live in it, but I do know that it is possible for many varieties of frogs to live together in the same environment. I have been on a frog stalk at Herdsman Lake and seen, and heard, Motorbike frogs and Banjo Frogs and even Slender Tree frogs living together, and if you listen hard you can hear the different calls.

Banjo frogs have such a distinctive bonk, bonk sound and it is easy to distinguish from the Brrr, grok of the Motorbikes, but Slender Tree frogs have a high pitched screech or whistle and it can be hard to make out with the noisy Motorbikes around. They are also harder to spot, they blend in so well with their surroundings and are much smaller than a fully grown Motorbike frog. Motorbike frogs have also been known to accidentally eat a smaller frog so they really need to lay low and not be noticed.

I have heard that Motorbike frogs have become a bit of a problem at some sights because of this habit of eating anything that moves, including other frogs, as they sometimes end up making it difficult for smaller species to survive. Lets hope this isn’t happening at your lake! Regardless of this very natural aspect of frogs diets, the Motorbike frog is still my favourite, and all frogs need our help to survive.

Another thing to consider with frogs calls is the timing of their mating season. Banjo frogs breed in winter and spring, Motorbike frogs call in the summer, starting in November or December, but Slender Tree frogs are spring breeders. So maybe they have stopped calling by now.

I have been getting lots of questions lately about frogs, and I really enjoy researching and answering your emails. Keep them coming!