The fifth batch of frogspawn has been spotted in the office pond. The fresh spawn was spotted yesterday morning (8th March, 2023). Despite the wintry weather, with air temperatures dropping to near zero the frogs have continued to spawn. The night was cold and a small amount of ice formed over the pond. Team members will continue to monitor the office pond frogspawn.

The frogs (Common frogs), seem undeterred and have continued their spawning.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Frogspawn in the Office Pond

The first frogspawn was observed on the morning of the 28th of February. This is the earliest date in the year that we have seen frogspawn. Over the years, the date of the Common frogs (Rana temporaria) spawning has got earlier and earlier. A decade ago, frogspawn was normally observed around the third week of March. In 2022, frogs spawned on the 2nd of March. Our monitoring of the spawning dates suggests that the trend is for the frogs to breed earlier each year. Perhaps this is indicative of climate change and global warming.

To read more about Everything Dinosaur’s frogspawn observations: Frogspawn Spotted in the Office Pond (2023).

Office Pond Frogspawn

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur, took a break from packing dinosaur and prehistoric animal themed orders for customers and stated:

“We try not to disturb the pond too much. However, we like to monitor the frogs to make sure all is well. As cold weather is forecast for the next two to three days, we have gently and carefully moved the spawn into deeper water to give the eggs some protection from the forecast cold snap.”

Potentially Delayed Hatching

The unseasonably cold temperatures with widespread snow likely to fall across the north-west of England could delay the hatching of the eggs. Everything Dinosaur team members think that the rate of development of the tadpoles is influenced by the water temperature. The pond water is likely to remain very cold for at least the next few days. This cold weather may slow the rate of hatching.

Team members promise to keep observing and taking steps to make sure that the pond wildlife is safe.

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