Post from Ian: Our Story About Tadpoles

[Transcribed by Katie as told by Ian]

We captured some tadpoles. We are trying to save the tadpoles. We are trying to raise them. When they grow up they are going to be Foam Nest Frogs. We are raising them in a dishwashing bucket that is full of water.

When we first got them, they were tiny and white and slowly they turned more black. When they are a little bigger they start growing legs and once they have full grown legs and their tail shrinks, they lose their black color and become a greyish-white color.

We got the tadpoles from a place where they would have died. The place was the Sanctuary in a pan [shallow, temporary wetland]. They would have not survived if they had emerged there because their nest was over mud there, not over water. Tadpoles must have water.

[a bit of information from Katie: foam nest frog females lay their eggs inside a white foamy nest - you can see one in the photo with Rich and Ian. She lays this foamy nest on a branch over a body of water, and when the eggs are ready, they fall out (as little tadpoles) into the water below. The foam nest that Rich and Ian found in the Sanctuary were laid over what had been a small pond but had since dried. We've had the tadpoles for almost two weeks now and they grow daily, but no sign of legs yet. Stay tuned!]