#anurans

There's nothing more complicated than a paradox- except, of course the paradoxical frog! The tadpoles of this species can grow up to 27 cm (11 in) in length. Then, paradoxically, they 'shrink' during metamorphosis and come out the other end only a quarter of their juvenile size; usually between 3.4–7.6 cm (1.3–3.0 in) long.

Quick Notobatrachus piece

The Notobatrachus tadpole that was found earlier this week

This little goober had little arms developing in his gill pouches and he had leggies

I spent part of yesterday helping a couple of friends with some much-needed yard work in preparation for spring. No, these aren't the friends in question--they're two frogs I ran across in the process! On the left is a northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora), while the green one on the right is a Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla). Both are quite small, under two inches long.

I felt bad for disturbing them, but with temperatures in the fifties it was warm enough they could relocate themselves to someplace safe before nightfall. (The yard is full of all sorts of great little hidey-holes if you are a small critter.) And all the debris that was picked up just ended up in the compost heap, so any invertebrates hiding there would still be safe, since nothing gets bagged up or burned.

Bastimentos Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (Oophaga pumilio). Just one of the many beautiful localities of this small anuran.