Is it possible to tell frogspawn from toad spawn

A.� Yes, it's quite obvious once you know how. Frogspawn is laid in clumps whereas toad spawn is laid in strings.

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Q.� Why are the eggs surrounded by jelly

A.� This clear jelly substance, which swells up when the spawn makes contact with water acts as a protective buffer for the delectate developing embryos. After around 10 days of floating on the surface, where the sun can warm up, the tadpoles emerge.

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Q.� How many eggs make it into frogs and toads

A.� Both spawn and tadpoles are extremely vulnerable and end up as meals for fish and birds. As few as 5 out of a batch of around 2000 eggs will make it into adult frogs and toads.

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Q.� Can toads give you warts

A.� No not at all, however toads have warty dry whereas frogs have smooth moist skin, which is another way to distinguish them.

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Q.� Can toads jump as well as frogs

A.� No, toads have shorter legs than frogs and tend to crawl or hop rather than jump.

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Q.� I often find toads on my patio, but not frogs why

A.� It may be because frogs can't venture too far from water. Frogs have to keep their skin damp in order to breathe, but, as toads don't, they can wander further afield.

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Q.� But frogs don't live in water

A.� No, not completely. Frogs are amphibians, they can breath underwater but because they can't feed underwater they have to venture onto dry land in order to hunt for prey and to breed.

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Q.� What does 'amphibian' mean

A.� Amphibian is a composite of the Greek words amphi and bios and means 'double life', referring to the fact that this group of animals live both on land and in water.

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by Lisa Cardy