Enjoy Baby Amphibians!

This first picture has a lot of tadpoles in it, but there are many more in this stream where they were born. And here are a few frogs almost fully grown. No, they are not tailed frogs. They are young pacific tree frogs that will soon loose these tails. And here are the salamander larvae I found in a small pond on my property. Considering the species I usually see around here I believe they are long toed salamanders. There are photos of that species on this site. Use the search tool if you wish to see them as adults.

Right now if you spend some time walking around ponds, lakes, and streams, take some time to look closely and you will find baby frogs and baby salamanders. Yes, there are some species that do things very differently, but not here. Frogs and salamanders of the NW all lay their eggs in water using ponds and streams. Salamanders prefer more slower moving streams and calm water such as a small still pond. Although it is often hard to identify the frog or salamander species you see, it is usually easy to tell if it is a frog or a salamander larvae. They both have long tails but you are seeing a salamander if it has gills spreading out on both sides of its neck. Yes, tadpoles have gills too, but only when they are very young and then just 2 gills on each side of their head which are soon covered up by their skin.  Salamanders have 3 gills on each side and these last longer than those on the tadpoles. Of course, the older they get the easier it is to identify them. But how long does it take for them to grow up? This can take up to 90 days depending on the species but some can grow up in 60 days. Therefore they are using the bulk of the summer season for growing up. Sometimes it is very amazing how many of these creatures you will find. I usually find just a few salamander larvae in the ponds on my property or else ware, but there is a place here in WA were I see the hundreds of tadpoles pictured above. What do they eat? Most tadpoles eat algae, while the salamander lava go after small creatures. But at some point the tadpoles will go after small creatures, too. And what are these amphibian babies called? As most of us know baby frogs are called tadpoles or pollywogs. Salamanders, however, do not have such well known nick names. They are called efts, nymphs, or larva.

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