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| Fact File |
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- Females can grow to around 9cm
long, though males are significantly smaller.
- Usually a shade of brown or
green.
- There may be some darker blotches
along the back plus a light, usually yellow, stripe
down the middle of the back. A pair of ridges run
from the eyes down the back.
- Pool frogs have been reintroduced
at a single site in Norfolk; they are breeding
successfully.
- They
have full legal
protection under UK law making it an offence to
kill, injure, capture, disturb or sell them or to
damage or destroy their habitats.
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Photos by Sam Taylor/Froglife |
Pool frogs were presumed extinct in the wild in 1995 but their native status was
actually debated for many years as
similar 'exotic' species had been introduced from Europe.
Research was carried out in the 1990s which showed pool frogs
have regional 'accents' to their calls and further genetic
studies revealed their true ancestry. It was determined that
English pool frogs belonged to a distinct, and very rare,
northern group of pool frogs, also found in Sweden and Norway.
Pool frogs have
since been reintroduced at a single site in Norfolk. They
belong to a complex of species known as ‘green frogs’ which also
includes marsh frogs and edible frogs.
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Adult frogs emerge from their overwintering sites in
late spring and head to a pond to breed. Males have a
loud call generated by a pair of vocal sacs either side
of the head. |
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Pool frogs lay clumps of spawn (eggs) in the pond during
late spring/early summer; breeding coincides with the
onset of warm nights in May/June. These clumps are
typically smaller than those laid by the common frog;
individual eggs are brown above and yellowish below.
Pool frogs are very aquatic and spend much of the year
in or near the water; they also tend to bask in sunshine
even on very hot days. |
| Adults and froglets prepare for winter by feeding up
on invertebrates. |
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Pool frogs normally hibernate on land between October
and April.
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Loss of habitat - drainage of fenland is thought to be primarily
responsible for the species originally becoming extinct in the
UK.
The reintroduction of the pool frog
Frequently asked questions about
frogs and toads.
Check out our
pool frog
gallery on Facebook.
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