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Clockwise from top left: Andre Wild, Diane Mesher, Jules Howard, Chris Quy, Francesca Barker, Jules HowardWILDLIFE INFORMATION SERVICE

Frequently Asked Questions about... spawn and tadpoles:


How do I tell the difference between frog, toad and newt spawn / tadpoles?

Key features to look out for (photos not to scale):

Frogs (top two photos)
Spawn is laid in clumps in shallower water.
On hatching tadpoles are black and will stick together in a writhing mass.
As they develop, tadpoles become mottled/brown as they develop and do not shoal.
Tadpoles grow back legs first.

Toads (middle two photos)
Spawn is laid in strings, usually wrapped around vegetation in slightly deeper water.
On hatching tadpoles are jet black and remain so.
Tadpoles often form shoals.
Tadpoles grow back legs first .

Newts (bottom two photos)
Eggs are laid individually on submerged plant leaves.
Larvae (sometimes called efts or tadpoles) have a frill of gills behind the head.
Larvae develop front legs first (when newly hatched they can be mistaken for fish fry).


More information:
Identifying amphibians. >>>


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