We were out looking at what appear to be bullfrog tadpoles. I saw one and I reached out to catch it. When I first picked it up, I thought it was dead and that something had pulled the intestines out to snack on it. Then I put it back in the water, and it slowly began swimming, so I picked it up again to investigate. It was mostly yellow, not the nice green with speckles like all the others. It also had light blue blotches all over it and it looked like a half-deflated balloon. On its chin and its backside there were earthworm-looking things hanging off, about five or six inches long. They looked like leeches, but that doesn't explain the odd coloring and such. It swam very slowly when I put it back on the water, and a few fish began nipping it, hoping for a meal. Any ideas???
2006-07-07 13:42:27 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
It could well be a deformed tadpole. Tadpoles, like all other creatures, are sometimes deformed. Or it could have been ill -- animals, like humans, are susceptible to germs, infection, virus etc.
2006-07-07 13:47:14 · answer #1 · answered by old lady 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It was probably what's called a newt. A newt is an aquatic amphibian that lives in creeks and rivers. It comes in a variety of colors. If it's not a newt then it might be a salamander baby, they can swim in the water too, and are often simialr to that color. But I think you're safest bet is the newt.
2006-07-08 10:29:04 · answer #2 · answered by K8lyn 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Frogs are what is known as an indicator species...they are the first to show signs of deformities etc because of pollution. That is probably what the reason is for the deformity...Human pollution!! I would keep out of the water in that creek.
2006-07-07 20:05:34 · answer #3 · answered by Kelly + Eternal Universal Energy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you could find it again and raise it and see what it will look like when it grows up or you could see if there is any polution in the creek and start a conservation thing(if you decide to raise it you need to know that it can take up to two years for a bullfrog tadpole to turn into a bullfrog)
2006-07-07 14:02:21 · answer #4 · answered by ballroom princess 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My guess, environmental pollution. If you want to see the health of the surrounding environment just look at the frog population. A lot of healthy looking frogs, little pollution. A few frogs or ones with malformations, some form of pollution is occurring.
2006-07-07 13:50:18 · answer #5 · answered by momof3boyz 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe it was deformed, or it sounds like everything has been eating on it. Being half deflated, sounds like maybe a bass hit it!
2006-07-07 13:50:10 · answer #6 · answered by Scorpius59 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fish bait.
2006-07-07 13:46:10 · answer #7 · answered by bond_adambond 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
too bad you did not bring it back - sounds interesting
2006-07-07 13:46:54 · answer #8 · answered by worldstiti 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
dont drink the water.
2006-07-07 13:46:22 · answer #9 · answered by deleted 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
could have possibly been dragonfly larvae.
2006-07-07 13:45:54 · answer #10 · answered by guardgirl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋