What are our animals up to in February?
As we ‘hop’ into February common frogs are out and about spawning. Well, this winter they have already started, as the first sighting of Frogspawn was on 23rd December in the Isles of Scilly! Mainland Britain is hot on its heels with milder spells in January creating a great opportunity for spawning.
The deep croaking is a dead giveaway of male frogs trying to attract mates. The males clasp the females in a bear hug waiting for her to spawn so he can fertilise the eggs. The result being large jelly like clumps of spawn that as they mature start to float. This is where the danger sets in as if the weather changes and the pond ices over the spawn on the top may not survive, however, spawn that is submerged has a much better chance of survival.
You can help by submitting your sightings of frogspawn and any other amphibians and reptiles to our Dragon Finder App – these records help us learn more about how our changing environment affects our species.