tadpoles

[Whiskas]

my mum just got some tadpoles for her classroom, have no idea what kind they are. Are there different ones available from the pet shops and what types are there? Can you tell them apart? Or do you have to wait until they turn into frogs? Once they have grown into frogs she will be releasing them into a wetlands-type area

[Ira]

Probably whistling tree frogs or golden bell frogs, I think those are the two most common ones in pet shops.

[davidb]

there are three types of non-native frogs in New Zealand; these are.

Litoria raniformis (usually known as Green frogs)

Litoria Aurea (Usually known as green and golden bell frogs)

Litoria ewingii ( Whistling tree frogs or brown tree frogs)

It is usually very hard to tell these apart as tadpoles, however The whistling tree frogs develop legs while they are smaller.

If your mum got them from a pet shop and they did not say they were tree frogs then they are most likeley to be Litoria Aurea.

[Whiskas]

And its OK to release these guys into the wild once they have developed into frogs?

[davidb]

no I wouldnt reccomend it

[Whiskas]

why?

[Alan]

Yeah!!!

Why not??

Good way to help the frogs regenerate in an area.

Just don't put them where there are gambusia.

Alan 104

[alextret]

I think I tried last summer

Litoria Aurea (Usually known as green and golden bell frogs)

and

Litoria ewingii ( Whistling tree frogs or brown tree frogs)

I found Litoria ewingii much more hardy. And they looked very different. Litoria ewingii - black and small, and Litoria Aurea - larger and green. That is, if I identified them correctly.

The way I understand it, if the tadpoles were taken from a different area, releasing them could be not OK. Not sure of the details, though.

[purplecatfish]

Technically releasing any organism into a waterway that does not already exist there requires a permit from DOC for approx $5000.

This includes releasing native fish .

I know this because I have recently looked at removing Gambusia from a pond at work and wanted to replace them with native whitebait for mosquito control. We would also need a permit from Fish and Game to transport live whitebait. All of this because I want to do "the right thing" and get rid of one of their unwanted organisms.

[Ira]

I personally don't really like the idea of intentionally releasing any non-native animal into the environment.

[Whiskas]

I was going to release them in an area that used to have HUNDREDS of frogs but now there seems to be none! It is a wetlands area and i will look carefully to see if there are any gambusia (sound like nasty lil critters!). It would be nice to have frogs there again as it was lovely to hear them croaking etc.

[sharn]

i wouldnt release them, its exactly the same as releasing fish that arent native to NZ into our waterways (gambusia are a good example)- down the line MAF may have a tanty and do something silly to them aswell :roll:

[fishboi]

i am afraid purplecatfish is right on this one. ur not even supposed to release the native type. but who's stopping ya :roll:

[Feelers]

What's the deal with the New Zealand native frogs? I know they are very unusual in that they have their tadpoles develop within eggs(are all the natives like this?), but has anyone ever treid breeding them? How rare are they and I'm guessing they are protected.

Anyone heard of any renegade native frog breeders out there raging against the machine? :lol:

[Feelers]

Found a nice page with a bit of info from the NZ frog society.

http://www.otago.ac.nz/Zoology/research ... index.html

Consequently the introduced frogs are unlikely to be considered an environmental pest and may actually be helping the native species, by reducing predation pressure, as they represent an alternative, and more abundant, food supply for amphibian predators.

While I also agree that putting animals that arent native back into the wild is generally a bad idea, current wisdom indicates it might be beneficial. The other thing is these frogs are thought to be going extinct back in OZ, so ironicially you are helping an endangered organism. To hell with bureaucracy I say, get raging. :lol:

[davidb]

There is also a disease which is often carried by non-native frogs called cyclid fungus (sp.) if this disease gets passed one of our rare native frog populations it could wreak havoc!

And yes all Native frogs are fully protected- you are not allowed to touch them- with the obvious exception of zoos (incl. Auckland Zoo)

[purplecatfish]

I don't think wisdom and bureaucracy go together in the same paragraph let alone the same sentence.

Davidb is right on this one. The most likely cause of the world wide epidemic that has resulted in frog populations being decimated, often in remote locations, and often by more than 90%, is probably the scientists who were studying them transmitting the fungus.

And there's sections of the Wildlife Act which prevent you from keeping them in captivity.

Anyone up for forming the ALF (amphibian liberation front).

Free the Frogs :lol: Equal rights for Tadpoles :lol:

[Whiskas]

That would be CHYTRID FUNGUS. Just looking it up now

It is very interesting to hear peoples view on this

I think that releasing them to a place where there were once green frogs would be a good idea to re-balance the eco system. THe place i am thinking of, i think, got poisoned, so many things died off But I will look in the water for those killer fish (can't remember what they are called, they were mentioned earlier).

The children in mums class are really enjoying the tadpoles and watching them develop.