Frogs Leave Record Amount of Spawn in Office Pond

This morning, we noticed that all the frogs had left the office pond.  One large individual, was found close to the pond on the paving slabs adjacent to the water’s edge.  It was very lethargic and we did not stop to examine whether it was a male or female Common Frog.  The males develop a fleshy pad (called a nuptial pad) on their first digit.  They use this pad to secure themselves to a female during breeding, so during the mating season at least it is relatively easy to distinguish between males and females.

The frog was quite dry, so we suspected that it had been out of the water for sometime.  Concerned for its well being, especially with the prospect of a sunny day threatening to de-hydrate it and bring out the neighbourhood’s cats to investigate, we decided to move the frog to a safer place.

Carefully a colleague picked up the animal and transported it to an area of overgrown, shady scrub and made sure the frog was well hidden.  We suspect that since this creature showed no outward signs of any harm, it may simply have been exhausted after the exertions of the last few days.  By placing it a quiet, sheltered spot, we are confident that this frog will recover and perhaps return again next year to our office pond to breed.

The frogs have certainly been busy over the last week or so, we have a record amount of frog spawn in the pond, perhaps as many as eight females have laid eggs.