Near the edge of the pond, in about a foot deep of water, I found a clutch of eggs and young Northern Leopard Frog tadpoles. The Northern Leopard Frog, Rana pipiens, tadpoles that I found at the Woodland trails pond were very tiny and extremely dark which made them difficult to identify. Female Rana pipiens lay around 3,000 eggs in a large jelly-like mass in the water; they can hatch after one to three weeks with variation occurring due to temperature. Adult Leopard frogs do not parent or protect their eggs once they are laid. When they hatch, the tadpoles eat plants, algae and even some dead tadpoles or invertebrates that are small enough for them. These tadpoles will reach a maximum size of 8.4 centimeters and undergo metamorphosis after a larval period of 70-110 days. (posted by Jeff Naples)
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