Common Frog emmergence

[Gatekeeper]

I found this frog this evening by the side of the pond; it was in danger of being attacked by a cat. I don't think the cat had fished it out of the pond, as there was now water splashes. The frog was still wet so I think it had recently left the pond. I took it inside the house to see if the cat had inflicted any damage (thankfully no ), before putting it back in the pond.

Would anybody be able to tell me if this is a male or female frog? There seems to be a nuptial pad visible on the left hand- should this be large in a male at this time of year or does it increase in size as Spring approaches? Thanks in advance

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Gatekeeper

Would anybody be able to tell me if this is a male or female frog? There seems to be a nuptial pad visible on the left hand- should this be large in a male at this time of year or does it increase in size as Spring approaches? Thanks in advance

I carnt see a nuptial pad on this photo. The arms look quite thick but the throat is not very blue/grey. I wouldnt like to sex this frog from this image. It isnt showing strong sexual characteristics of either sex. So doesnt seem to be ready to breed. Males often arrive at the ponds first although theres nothing to say a female has beeen disturbed or woken early and entered a pond. Probably more likely a male.

[Gatekeeper]

Thanks Dogghound, I wonder if you could give me some idea of how long it can take for an emerging frog to display sexual characteristics. Is there usually a recognisable period between emergence and the breeding season, in which frogs of both sexes display no discernible sexual characteristics?

[Dogghound]

It often coincides with the end of hibernation. As they become more active their development of sexual characteristics increases, which help during mating and displaying. The latitude causes different times in breeding across the country. You would expect them to become more active into february and some mating will occur towards the end of that month, with a peak in march.

It could be that the frog in your photo is starting to develop some characteristics, i.e. it does have quite thick flabby arms, but doesnt have the other features characteristic of a breeding male i.e. blue throat and nutial pads.