In article ,
says...
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:48:34 -0000, "Pam Cook"
wrote:

hey... 1 lot of frogspawn this morning, in the pond Officiallly
spring... though it's blooming cold still

I can tell frogspawn from toadspawn, but what does newtspawn look like
(assuming it exists), and is there a simple way of distinguishing
toadpoles from frogpoles and newtpoles? I as because a few days ago I
saw a lot of almost hatched 'spawn in a small natural pond, but today
there was little sign of anything except a small longish tailed
creature about three inches long that wriggled into the mud and I
didn't get a good look at it but assume it was a newt.


Newts lay eggs individually and the tadpoles have obvious feathery gills
on the out side and are fawn in colour not black and start life a lot
smaller and more difficult to see. Adult newts feast on tadpoles of frogs
and toads and even their tadpoles will tackle stuff that as big as
themselves
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea