Lucky's Pond: Here's Lookin' at You, Kid!

Sometimes the timing works out perfectly!! Our kiddy pool has little pictures all over it, and this tiny froglet happened to swim to just the right spot for a perfect picture! :D (Sorry about the stuff on the side of the pool, it's from the mud I brought up from the seasonal pond and is important for their environment, as it grows bacteria and algae that the tadpoles eat!)

Pacific Tree Frogs have a average life span of only 1-2 years in the wild (up to 6 years in captivity), but most will die as tadpoles or froglets, eaten by predators or killed by a variety of environmental issues. It's a hard life to be a frog, and that's why there are so many babies!

Females lay eggs in clumps of 10-90 and put them in shallow water on or under leaf litter, where they will hatch in 7-21 days. She may lay as many as 500 to 1250 eggs in a single season!! With so many babies, the odds are in her favor that at least a few of her offspring will live to be adults and raise families of their own!

More fun froggy facts tomorrow, along with another picture from Lucky's Pond! :)