Sitting on an island, isolated as we are from mainland Europe, means the UK's range of amphibian species is comparatively small – we have just seven species compared to over 60 on the European mainland. But what we lack in different species, we make up for in distribution – Common Frogs for instance occur in populations throughout the UK and Ireland, even in urban areas.

The UK native amphibian list includes two frogs (Common Frog and recently reintroduced Pool Frog), two toads (Common Toad and Natterjack Toad) and three newt species (the smaller Palmate and Smooth; and the comparatively gigantic Great Crested Newt).  

The numbers game…

Arguably what really separates amphibians from the birds, mammals and even reptiles, is their unusual mating behaviour. Life for them is all about numbers: you invest either lots of energy in a few offspring, or you spread-bet: you invest energy in making lots of eggs, and hope some of them will turn into adults. In the UK, amphibians favour the latter strategy, and then some…

The Natterjack Toad is possibly the UK record-holder: a single female can lay anything up to 6,000 eggs, twice that of Common Toad and Common Frog females. In total, the UK's frogs and toads lay literally billions of eggs in ponds across the country in spring each year. So the question is: why are we not knee deep in froglets and toadlets?

A famous statistic often quoted by amphibian experts is that, of say, 2,000 frog eggs spawned, just 100 may emerge from the pond as froglets. Of those froglets, less than five might be expected to return as adults two or three years later. And what happens to the rest? …food for Britain’s other wildlife: crows, hedgehogs, dragonfly larvae, foxes and many, many others (not forgetting of course the Grass Snake)

From February to April check out a local garden pond or visit your school pond and look for blobs of frogspawn. Ask a teacher whether you can safely keep some in the classroom – for useful information see the FSC’s ‘Guide to raising tadpoles’ available through Froglife’s Frogalogue. Don’t forget to return froglets back to the same pond you got them from!

For information and advice on making your garden frog-friendly see Froglife’s range of advice sheets.

Episode 1: Cold Blooded in a Cold Climate
Episode 2: Battlefield Pond
Episode 3: Dragon's Den UK
Episode 4: Snakes in the City
Episode 5: Visitors to UK Shores
Epilogue: Froglife in Cold Blood

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BBC Life in Cold Blood
ARG UK
British Herpetological Society
Herpetological Conservation Trust