Overwintering Taddy

[Bob_at_Fant]

A frog tadpole briefly popped up to the surface of one of my ponds today looking fat and healthy so I thought I'd try to do a census but none of them could be enticed up by a cat biscuit suspended in the water, in October this would have brought about 20 up for a snack. Hopefully a few are still in there, it's not like they've had much in the way of wintry conditions to deal with. Perhaps their metabolisms have slowed and they're not peckish?

Bob

[Billabong Karen]

I'm sure that's it. They're probably just waking up a little as it's not been terribly cold - but not enough to be really hungry yet.

I had several overwintering tadpoles too, I last saw one (and a small newtlet) a couple of weeks ago when I moved a big stone in the larger pond. They've been very quiet though - if I hadn't moved the stone I wouldn't have known they were still there. I'm sure as soon as the water warms up a few degrees they will start feeding, and will have a head start on the newcomers.

[Dogghound]

Yes they don't feed whilst the water is cold. They close down their digestive system which shrinks and the cold temperature causes a drop in metabolism. They largely feed on algae, micro-invertebrates and plankton which are is low numbers during the colder months, meaning an active digestive system is a waste of energy.

[Billabong Karen]

A large frog tadpole came up to the surface today in my big pond, then disappeared down into the depths again. A careful stir around the edges with a stick did not bring any more to show, so I presume they are hiding down amongst the leaves at the bottom. I didn't see any more newtlets either, but I am sure they are there too, biding their time.