Hobbies And Interests
American Toad (Bufo americanus) Tadpoles
The American Toad (Bufo americanus) tadpole is arguably the most common of all Michigan tadpoles. Appearing as round, solid-black dots with skinny tails when viewed by the naked eye, they actually show an abundance of golden iridophores (light-reflecting cells) along their sides and back when slightly magnified. They abound in marshes, ponds and vernal woodland pools. American Toad tadpoles grow from egg to adult in a matter of weeks -- about 30-40 days. They typically lay eggs in late April or early May, with adults emerging in June. Adult American toads are less than a centimeter long, so are sometimes called "toadlets".
Green Frog (Rana clamitans) Tadpoles
Green frog tadpoles are large, dark tadpoles appearing in shades of dark brownish-green. The dorsum (back) of the Green Frog tadpole is typically dark or pale brown to gray with a few lines dark, fuzzy dots. The underside of the Green frog tadpole is sometime iridescent in young tadpoles, and whitish-green in older tadpoles. The underside of the end of the tail is commonly black.
Female Green Frogs lay 7,000 eggs in pond or marsh vegetation. The eggs take about one week to hatch. Some green frogs take 22 months (about 2 years) to grow from egg to tailless subadult. Large Green Frog tadpoles often winter in the mud and leaf litter in the bottom of ponds and marshes.
American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) Tadpoles
Just like their parents, American Bullfrog tadpoles are very easy to spot due to their fairly large size (growing up to 15 centimeters in length). The tadpoles are arrowhead-shaped with a dorsal fin beginning behind its body (over the tail).
American Bullfrog tadpoles tend to have transverse, golden bands mid-body against a dark, speckled background. There are discrete dots on the dorsum (back) but they are absent on the dorsal fin. The belly is transparent or slightly white.
Breeding begins in late spring or early summer; eggs are typically laid in clutches of 15,000-20,000, and hatch in 3-5 days after deposition. Bullfrog tadpoles take two years on average to grow from egg to adult, winter in mud and leaf litter under the pond.
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) Tadpoles
Spring Peepers -- native, nocturnal chorus frogs of Michigan -- have tadpoles that are small, black, and teardrop-shaped with long, skinny tails. As they grow, they become more greenish-brown with slightly iridescent golden spots. The dorsum (back) and underside eventually become transparent.
Females lay around 900-100 eggs per clutch, which hatch in 3-5 days. They are a very fast-growing frog, moving from egg to frog in about eight weeks. Spring Peeper tadpoles actually grow to be longer than their frog parents, which are only about 1 1/2 inches long.