Where to find them
Pool frogs were presumed
extinct in the wild in 1995, but have since been reintroduced at a
single site in East Anglia.
Identification Pool frogs are extremely variable in colour, although the type
reintroduced to the UK are predominantly brown with dark
brown or black blotches over the back and a lighter, often yellow, dorsal
stripe.
Adults can grow up to 9cm in length but males are significantly
smaller. During the breeding season the males have a loud call generated
by a pair of inflatable pouches (vocal sacs) each side of the mouth; a
feature absent from the common frog Rana temporaria.
Lifecycle Pool frogs breed much later in the year than
the common frog. Breeding coincides with the onset of warm nights in
May/June. The spawn ‘rafts’ are typically smaller than those of the
common frog, and individual eggs are brown above and yellowish below.
Pool frogs (and other members of the green frog 'complex') are known to
bask in the sunshine on even the hottest days.
Protection The pool frog has full protection under
UK law. It is an offence to kill, injure, capture or disturb
them, and to damage or destroy pool frog habitats. It is also illegal to sell
or trade pool frogs. This law
applies to all life-stages.
Find out more about the reintroduction of the pool frog.>>>
Training courses
are being run for the Million Ponds Project in 2010. Please click
HERE for details.