A few cool pictures / stories attached.

[infernalis]

Great photos, Wayne.
A very beautiful find.

Thanks Steve. First one I have seen in nearly a decade.

Usually, but that all depends. There's an interesting adaptation they have. In warmer water with low oxygen, they are prompted to metamorphisis sooner, and at a much smaller size. In cooler water with plenty of oxygen, they can take up to three years before becoming adults, and of course, much larger young frogs. I did a little experiment to prove this, by hatching eggs and keeping them in to different tanks under different conditions. In the warm deoxygenated water, I had tadpoles as young as 3 months old, and only about one inch long, turn into frogs. Their siblings, in the cool oxygenated water just continued to become larger tadpoles. Most turned to frogs during their second year as a large tadpole. A few didn't turn into adults until their 3rd year, and the process (sprouting back legs, then front, etc.) was very slow.

The small one's that turned early, were frogs just one month after sprouting their first legs. Pretty interesting I thought. Sounds like an adaptation that would allow them to survive if the eggs were laid in temporary water that was quickly drying up.


I know, old post, but I thought you might find that interesting. I did.

Watching this one unfold in person, we are experiencing a dry spell and all the water holes are drying up, so the bullfrog tads are morphing really small and quite early to compensate.