A Toadlet is a Tadpole by Another Name.

First it was tadpole. Then I remembered the term pollywog (polliwog). Now I see a term new to me. "Toadlet" was used to describe these small, look nothing like mom or dad, toads. Cute huh?

I was out observing this new batch of toadlet's yesterday (Saturday afternoon). I swear they have already grown from what they were just this morning. They are mostly hang'n near where they hatched but there are a few brave ones that have ventured a few yards from "home." Watching them swim around reminds me of a bunch of sperm in search of the prize... the egg. Their little tails swish back and forth really fast; they have a large head and a tail.... nothing in-between.

Just what do these creatures eat?   Will I be knee deep in toads next month?  So many question for this novice Toad Daddy. I don't know where my responsibilities begin in their cycle of life.  I don't have all the answers but did find a few.

As a tadpole matures, it will metamorphosize by gradually growing limbs and then outwardly absorbing its tail by apoptosis (go ahead, look it up.. I did). Lungs develop around the time of leg development, and tadpoles late in development will often be found near the surface of the water, where they breathe air. During the final stages of external metamorphosis, the tadpole's mouth changes from a small, enclosed mouth at the front of the head to a large mouth the same width as the head. The intestines shorten to make way for the new diet. Most tadpoles are herbivorous, subsisting on algae and plants. Some species are omnivorous, eating detritus and, when available, smaller tadpoles. Not to worry about Toad Daddy's toadlet's since siblings are normally safe from cannibalistic predation because all their brothers and sisters are the same age and, therefore, about the same size.

I'm thinking the biggest threat for these toadlet's is getting out of the bridge pond and into faster moving water.  That threat is immediately followed by the pump at the bottom of the skimmer.  It moves 7000 gallons of water per hour and would suck these little guys up and never even slow down.  There isn't much I can do about either one of these dangers so I guess I'll just observe and report as things progress. 

Being a Toad Daddy appears to be a lot easier than being a People Daddy.