dead frogs britains freeze

[frog123]

Had you got any spawn yet if not there is a good chance that more frigs are on the way. Also were do you live as my pond has only frozen over once in the last 2weeks

[Malcolm Banks]

It is really sad to hear of tales of multiple frog mortalities as a consequence of the freezing weather. My pond has frozen on multiple occasions this winter and has remained frozen for periods up to 12 days, and yet I have not seen a single dead frog. In the last couple of weeks, quite a few live ones have been active, perhaps guilty of premature ovulation, since the spawn is being really hammered by the almost daily freeze-thawing - this is a process used in microbiology to disrupt cells and tissue, so unlikely to do the eggs in the spawn any favours - Perhaps the surrounding jelly has cryopreservative properties - anyone aware?? Am I straw grasping?
M

[Moonmoth]

This probably sounds daft but How can you tell if your frogs are really 100 % dead and Not just dormant ?

[trouble]

unfortunately -there has been a lot of press since my original post over the death toll of British frog life, mine were very dead, no mistaking, but, Spring is round the corner and I have some neighbours who have frog spawn, so, all is not lost...to be continued

[Malx]

Originally Posted by Moonmoth

This probably sounds daft but How can you tell if your frogs are really 100 % dead and Not just dormant ?

Probably not so daft a question at all!
Certainly there are frogs around the world that hibernate in a frozen state, so I suspect it's as well to give any home-grown casualty the benefit of the doubt, at least.

[Malcolm Banks]

Why are some people suffering multiple frog deaths (presumably weather-related) and others no apparent mortality Is there a common denominator? I suppose the most likely factors are PO2 levels, toxin levels, depth of water, and depth of mud/sediment. Although one person has said the plant oygenation source shuts down when the pond is frozen, if light is getting through under the ice, photosynthesis (and thereby O2 production) still occurs, even at temperatures close to zero (this is confirmed on the BBC site, where they also recommend you remove snow, but not the ice, to allow more light to get through). The sediment argument appears equally ambiguous, with some suggestions that in freezing conditions deep mud and silt are protective of pond dwellers and others indicating that it is a source of toxin accumulation. Depth of water - I think this is unlikely since frog deaths have been reported in adequate depth ponds.
Trying to make something useful out of all this distressing info.
Perhaps I'll stop thinking about it and just be thankful my pond has so far proven a safe haven from Jack Frost's dilapidations. Perhaps a national pond questionnaire/survey to identify risk factors???? (if anyone knows of such pl. let me know)
M