Whilst working in the Vivarium last week, I got a call from our reception to say that a rare live golden frog that had been brought into the museum! I obviously said I would be straight down and was very pleased the museum lift was working at last! When I got there, sure enough, there was a beautiful live golden frog waiting for me :-). However, it was not the endangered tropical form I had fleetingly imagined, but one from much closer to home. It was in fact an albino common frog, that a lady from nearby Stretford had kindly brought in to show me. I must admit that I was very pleased she had, for although I knew that these albinos occaisionally turn up I had never ever seen one in the flesh. 
Most albino frogs are easily spotted by predators and usually dont’ last long. However, this was a large adult female and was a stunning bright orange colour. It was clearly thriving and very healthy so must have been clever at evading predators for all its life. Here is a photo of the animal and also above is one of the lady, Mrs Pollit, who very kindly decided to bring in the animal from her pond to show me.
Filed under: On the Vine from the Vivarium |
Just thought I’d share an experience of my own with an unusually coloured amphibian! I was at a Herpcon Trust Reptile survey training day at Ainsdale yesterday – where we spotted a few gorgeously green male sand lizards basking in the sand dunes.
Though it was a Reptile training day we could hardly pass up on a chance to see the Natterjacks, so we set off after dark, led by one of the local rangers.
Torches shone in a large pool we came across not a toad, but a rather large and very RED common frog. Despite his bright colouration he too had so far survived and was certainly quick enough – he escaped soon after first being picked up and rapidly hopped off before I got a chance to get a picture sadly. I have heard of the red colouration occuring but never seen it til last night!
Hi Louise, sounds like you had fab day – and night! Really cool to see those beautiful sand lizards! I have only seen a few bright red frogs and it always surprises me how many different colours of our common frog you can come across. I went back to the adder site last Sunday and found two small males that were also very different in colour from the ones previous – these were really bright green and black – really nice specimens:). Please let me know if you come across anything else of interest . Take care, Andrew.
What became of this little guy?
Hi Killan, thanks for message and interest. The lady who brought him in took him back home and realised him back in her pond. I a not sure how he has gone on as we haven’t heard anything since the lady came in. Best wishes, Andrew