The critter's skin now looks slightly granular, which is definitely a point in the gray treefrog's favor. Between that, the date the eggs were collected, the overall profile of the tail, etc., I'm getting fairly well convinced that's what I have. But what's with the red tail, or lack of it? There has definitely been no trace of red on the tails, and every tadpole reference I've checked says versicolor tads have distinctive red markings on their tails, sometimes even an entirely red tail. These have been eating algae (from their source water) and an algae/fish-based fish food; perhaps they're missing something required to develop the red pigment?



I was originally planning to take them to a wetland near the collection site this weekend but I think I'll keep them around for a week or two to watch their growth for a bit before I launch them. I have a rather elderly female gray treefrog, and the difference between her and the little guy is pretty amazing.



The transforming one is down to about half a tail as of this afternoon. His jaws still don't seem to be finished, but by tomorrow he should probably be ready to eat some fruit flies. I hope they're small enough.

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