Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations These eggs?

Any ideas about these eggs. Frogs?

Looks like a brain sucker to me.

Looks like the bullfrog eggs I always get.

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/teacher/frogeggs.htm

I'm going with frog or toad also.

Or maybe Chubacabras spawn.

Toads are in strings, I think bullfrog or leopard frog, but would need to see size.

Squid,
The leaf just to the left is about a inch and a half. Does that help?

If Tony is right about the chupacabra spawn, I'll need a bigger boat, and net and gun and and and...

I'd say toad...My toad eggs would cover the shallows...never saw a string....

After looking more...I'm going with frog

Probably depends on the type of toad. Mine make long strings and loop them over anything they can find.

FWIW I THINK bullfrog egg masses are known to be black and white.

Edit: I've been googling pictures..... I'll guess leopard frog

Based on size comparisons, 90% sure they are bullfrog eggs.

Also salamanders will put eggs in clumps like this, but they are smaller egg size, and a tighter clump. Usually egg clumps are stuck out on a limb away from shore. I am talking the red-spotted salamanders (newts).

Toad eggs can be so numerous they look like clumps, but if you run your fingers through them, they will pull as strings.

I very much doubt the eggs pictured by 'highflyer' are from a bullfrog. Normally bullfrogs lay eggs as a thin sheet with 10,000 to 20,0000 eggs (sometimes few as 6000) as a thin surface mass usually around one egg layer thick unless they are disturbed and the mass is folded on itself. The eggs from bullfrogs in my pond float on the surface among vegetation. Bullfrog Eggs are never in round clumps as in the above picture. A description from one of the links for bullfrog eggs: "The eggs are jelly-coated and float in a film on the surface of the water, creating a ‘raft’ which can reach a meter in diameter."

This from Michigan DNR: The small, dark frog eggs are protected by layers of a jelly like substance (envelopes or sheaths). They may be in rounded masses (as in Wood and Leopard Frogs), loose clusters (Gray Tree Frogs), long necklace like strings (Toads), thin surface films (Bull and Green Frogs), or deposited singly or in small clusters (Spring Peeper). The last link provides specific details of how to recognize individual eggs of several frogs plus toads, although you may need added magnification to see the individual layers surrounding each egg.

http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety...an_bullfrog.php
http://www.bullfrogs.com/Bullfrog-Life-Cycle.html

Eggs as a thin see through layer.
http://www.salisbury.edu/lowershoreherpatlas/Species%20Pages/Bullfrog/American%20Bullfrog.htm

http://www.arkive.org/american-bullfrog/lithobates-catesbeianus/image-G138026.html
After mating, the female lays between 10,000 and 25,000 eggs (3) (6), with the size of the clutch being dependent on the size of the female (3). A clutch normally consists of one quarter of the female’s body weight (2). The eggs are jelly-coated (5) (6) and float in a film on the surface of the water (3) (4), creating a ‘raft’ which can reach a metre in diameter (5). Not long before hatching, the mass of eggs sinks (4)(5).

http://www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/herp/html/4racat.html
The non-native American Green Frog is the only species one might encounter in Washington State with an egg mass similar thin floating mass to the American Bullfrog with the egg mass of the green frog being significantly smaller diameter of 12" dia. than the bullfrog egg mass close to 36" dia. Note also the individual sheath or envelope surrounding the green frog egg is noticably different than that for the bullfrog egg. (Next)

Description of Individual Eggs
https://books.google.com/books?id=TpBOAA...ion&f=false


Range or distribution of the Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana (aka Lithobates)
http://www.nhptv.org/wild/bullfrog.asp

Distrubution of the America Green Frog Rana clamitans (aka Lithobates)
Green Frog is not the same specie as green tree frog.
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=72
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rana_clamitans_Territory.jpg

Lots of good info Bill. I marked this thread for future reference....

So, what do you think they are?

Here are toad strings from my pond so you can see the difference:

Huh, we get both green and bull. I always thought the larger eggs were bull but it seems I am wrong, again. I guess the evidence is in that we get the floating masses of eggs that show up for quite some time, where the glob masses seem to show up early spring only. Bullfrogs around here seem to have no problem mating all the way into June based on the activity around the pond. We typically get a lot more green frogs than bulls.

As a side note we raised a good batch of gray tree frogs and wood frogs from our little garden pond. We never had wood frog tads before, and it was the first year we didn't have fish in there due to a leak. I wonder if some frogs can tell when there are fish or not before breeding in a body of water?

Wood frogs are amazing land hunters, hopping through grass very quickly compared to other frogs, maybe 2nd to the much larger leopard frog.

Notice how some of the dark eggs in the picture of 'highflier' appear to be slightly different size which is IMO uncharacteristic of frog eggs. This could be due to photographic distortion. It is hard for me to make a good guess since I can not actually see the egg cluster. Tiny gas bubbles, probably oxygen from the algae, on the eggs make it hard to see specifics. The egg mass could be salamander eggs?.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/66518.html

More very interesting reading material on differences between species of frog and salamander eggs.
http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=272

All, thanks for the info. I did look to see if the egg cluster was still in the same place yesterday, and they are still there. I'll be back to the farm in a few days and I'll take a few more pictures and possibly some video.

Bill,
I think you are right about the bubbles. I'll try to get you a few pictures from a couple different angles. If you want a picture or two up close, I'll try to "cut" one or two out of the cluster and photograph them.

Again, thanks for helping. I am interested to see what they are.

I'm not an expert by any means, but I watched closely last year. The first eggs I saw were in a bunch like these, and they were leopard frogs. The second eggs to appear were strands like pictured above, they were indeed toads. The last eggs to appear were bunches again, and they were the bullfrogs. Those tadpoles are still swimming around, by the thousands. I think bullfrog tadpoles take two years to turn into frogs. I could be wrong. There were definite stretches of time between the three egg laying events.
Hope this helps.
Jeff