A few cool pictures / stories attached.

[infernalis]

Last week, Kyle sent me six non feeding ribbons, they needed toads and polliwogs to start, and are now taking fish, while sitting in human hands, all of them!



Carmella our milk snake had frostbite that cost her a fair bit off her tail, she has now shed 4 times since this injury occurred, and I wanted to show how well it has healed up. (The bone was showing!)



Tonight after I got done cleaning out our water snake enclosure (Nerodia sipedon) "Aqua" I thought of putting a ground FX light that I saved from my old "pimped out" dodge neon under the tank. Here is what it turned out like.



The effect is surreal Like a lighted swimming pool.

[drache]

thanks Wayne

what a sweet ribbon pic
I was trying to see whether I could get some small tadpoles as a last resort for my non-eating babies, but the only tadpoles to be gotten from the store are gigantic - bigger than feeder goldfish
what the heck are those
I grew up with little tadpoles, definitely smaller than guppies

that stump looks like the bone's barely covered
good job

the swimming pool shot is so very So Cal
it kind of triggers soundtrack in my head

[Stefan-A]

All I know, is that bullfrog tadpoles are huge.

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

All I know, is that bullfrog tadpoles are huge.

Yes they are, and y'all are welcome to all of the bullfrog tadpoles we have out here in the wild! The American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) is an invasive species here in California! It is threatening to wipe out our local baby garters, our smaller frogs, and our baby Western Pond Turtles! Lefty, my one-eyed garter is drooling just feeling the vibtrations of me talking about it.... okay not really, but I had a few beers at a work potluck, and uh, well you know... my fingers are slurring....

Steve

[Loren]

Nice pics Wayne. Whats your fish of choice for baby ribbons?

[infernalis]

Well I have used rosies in a pinch, guppies and minnows work well too.

A local fishing supplier carries these small shiner minnows that are the same exact creek minnows garters eat in the wild, the ribbon babies like them as well.

[Loren]

Cool, thanks. I've been using guppies for my gulf coast ribbon babies so far. 7 of the 8 are eating. I need to try again this weekend yet.

[ConcinusMan]

All I know, is that bullfrog tadpoles are huge.

Usually, but that all depends. There's an interesting adaptation they have. In warmer water with low oxygen, they are prompted to metamorphisis sooner, and at a much smaller size. In cooler water with plenty of oxygen, they can take up to three years before becoming adults, and of course, much larger young frogs. I did a little experiment to prove this, by hatching eggs and keeping them in to different tanks under different conditions. In the warm deoxygenated water, I had tadpoles as young as 3 months old, and only about one inch long, turn into frogs. Their siblings, in the cool oxygenated water just continued to become larger tadpoles. Most turned to frogs during their second year as a large tadpole. A few didn't turn into adults until their 3rd year, and the process (sprouting back legs, then front, etc.) was very slow.

The small one's that turned early, were frogs just one month after sprouting their first legs. Pretty interesting I thought. Sounds like an adaptation that would allow them to survive if the eggs were laid in temporary water that was quickly drying up.


I know, old post, but I thought you might find that interesting. I did.

[infernalis]

Great photos, Wayne.
A very beautiful find.

Thanks Steve. First one I have seen in nearly a decade.

Usually, but that all depends. There's an interesting adaptation they have. In warmer water with low oxygen, they are prompted to metamorphisis sooner, and at a much smaller size. In cooler water with plenty of oxygen, they can take up to three years before becoming adults, and of course, much larger young frogs. I did a little experiment to prove this, by hatching eggs and keeping them in to different tanks under different conditions. In the warm deoxygenated water, I had tadpoles as young as 3 months old, and only about one inch long, turn into frogs. Their siblings, in the cool oxygenated water just continued to become larger tadpoles. Most turned to frogs during their second year as a large tadpole. A few didn't turn into adults until their 3rd year, and the process (sprouting back legs, then front, etc.) was very slow.

The small one's that turned early, were frogs just one month after sprouting their first legs. Pretty interesting I thought. Sounds like an adaptation that would allow them to survive if the eggs were laid in temporary water that was quickly drying up.


I know, old post, but I thought you might find that interesting. I did.

Watching this one unfold in person, we are experiencing a dry spell and all the water holes are drying up, so the bullfrog tads are morphing really small and quite early to compensate.

[Lori P]

OMG, Stefan, that's amazing!

Wayne, thanks for the pics! Poor Carmella... looks like it's doing well tho. And I love the under-lit swimming pool, too cool!! And how great that the ribbons are eating out of your hand... sweet. :-)