Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought this tadpole from a pet store, hes olive green like solid color, very very light yellow or maybe even dull white on belly, hes getting very large has two small hind legs now, his tail is partially transparent, im thinking either a bull frog which i oppose because hey take nearly 2-3 years to transform, and this one ive had for 2 months i cant believe a pet store would get a 3 year old tadpole.. my second guess is a toad. thanks.

Sounds like a bullfrog to me,it would help if you post a picture of him.Bullfrogs are pretty neat but they don't make the best pets.Sometimes they will morph in one summer but usually takes longer.I have bullfrog taddies in my koi pond that I let back into the wild population when they morph.

Sounds like a green frog tadpole to me. Bullfrog tadpoles have pretty distinct markings while green frog tadpoles appear more mottled. If you look at it's tail and only the top half has a pattern the bottom has none it may be a bullfrog, but the I think the green frog tadpole will have pretty much the same color on the top half of the tail as on the bottom.

The top half has yellow specs the bottom has none

Then it may be a green frog tadpole, or maybe a leopard frog tadpole. But I'm sure someone on the forum would know, but a picture would be helpful.

If you look at it's tail and only the top half has a pattern the bottom has none it may be a bullfrog

This is an incorrect generalization. The bullfrog tadpoles in my area and in some others I have seen all have the distinct spots on the bottom tailfin as well.
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*Humans aren't the only species on earth... we just act like it.

".the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without
spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

Yes, it was a generalization. Because I don't have the tadpole and a microscope (or even a picture of it) I responded to what was asked. The tadpole is olive green, a solid color and it's tail is partially transparent. Chances are much more likely that it's a green frog tadpole than a bullfrog tadpole. I was trying to help this person with a possible identification so that the tadpole may receive proper care. I wasn't trying to find a way to criticize or condemn the advice of those trying to help. And no, it's not likely that a pet store could keep anything alive for 3 years.

Then again why would they have to keep a tadpole alive for 3 years? They don't get tadpoles on purpose...they show up in feeder fish shipments and most are apparently close to either gaining their legs or even losing the tail and gills. Andy
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Andy Maddox
The Reptizone

Who are you who can say it's ok to live through me? Alice In Chains

Here is a picture of a small bullfrog tadpole

n/p

/

It is practically impossible to identify Tadpole from a description alone. Sometimes a picture is not enough to identify species. Chances are it is a Ranid of some type, either bullfrog, green or leopard frogs.

i cant believe a pet store would get a 3 year old tadpole..

I find that statement amusing, pet stores don't care about the animals or what happens to them once they leave the store.
click here for the link...

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*Humans aren't the only species on earth... we just act like it.

".the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without
spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

i just mena pet stores mainly have younger animals.

Here are Green Frog tadpole pics. Bull frog tads get pretty big and their legs dont develop until they are a couple inches. If your tad is only about an inch or so and has his back legs fully developed then I would say he is either leopard or green.

Hope this helps,

Lu


If pics dont work

hmm no definately nbot leopard its a good few incheshes a big guy. and has his legs about half developed

It could be anything, hard to tell from a description. Pet stores can sell three-year old tadpoles because a kid will capture them in the wild and sell or trade it for crickets or something. Then again sometimes they come in with the feeder goldfish. The only sure way to know what it is, is to wait for it to morph. Pics of tads online all seem to look the same and are often mislabeled, as in the case of bullfrog vs. green frog tadpoles. A rough estimate is, if it is larger than four inches and very fat and rounded in body, it's a bullfrog. if smaller, maybe a leopard fromg or green. but only time will tell.
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*~Ginevive~*