Caecilians for the weird win!
In the Frolics of Frogs, you meet caecilians, a legless amphibian, who takes motherhood extremely seriously! Baby ringed caecilians feed on their mother's nutritious skin - and scientists have now discovered that the mother also produces a milk like substance to nouish them as well. This is the first time an amphibian has been discovered to do this!
Read more at https://www.newscientist.com/article/2421263-worm-like-amphibian-produces-a-kind-of-milk-for-its-hatchlings/
Frog Ladders Freebie
Click on the link below to watch a video on the Reuters website on how conservationists are trying to rescue toads and other ambibians from drains.
Check out the free worksheet that goes along with the video - download using the code Free Frog here
Tadpoles in the Wild!
This video was taken in the Peatlands Park in Dungannon, Northern Ireland in April 2021.
It shows the bog pond absolutely full of tadpoles, all wriggling around towards the surface of the water.
Pond Dipping
This video is also from the Peatlands Park. It's definitely not a tadpole, but do you know what it is?
It is the larva of a chironimid ( you say"ki-ro-no-mid "fly) fly, sometimes known as a rat tailed maggot. It is about 10mm long, and if you closely, you might see it move a little!
This little guy isn't a tadpole (obviously!) but he is a tadpole snail!
He is a detritivore, which means that he helps keep the water clean by breaking down plants and algae. This little guy is keeping the water clean for our tadpoles! Good job!