One of the unexpected sights during our walk along the Northumberland Coast Path was this (tidal?) pool full of what we thought were Common Toad (Bufo bufo) tadpoles. Surprising because this was brackish water at best, if not fully the brine of the nearby North Sea. 
It seems, though, that they can tolerate a certain amount of salt. And they are not the only amphibians to do so. I found this abstract of a journal article that provides a “review of the literature of amphibians in saline waters and present data on 144 species, in 28 families, on every continent except Antarctica. In doing so, we make the case that salt tolerance in amphibians may not be as rare as generally assumed.” 
Speaking of salt tolerance: near the tad-pools were some clumps of Glaux maritima, which seems to have more common names than you can shake a tadpole at, including, in the UK, Sea Milkwort. Found across the northern hemisphere, on coasts and high-elevation alkaline meadows.
Tadpoles
Published August 11, 2015 Fieldnotes 5 CommentsTags: amphibians, Britain, flowers, plants, toads
Backyard and Beyond 
Matt, I love you, meaning I love what you see and that you share it with us. I should write to you everyday because I enjoy your posts every day.
BTW, in Truro a dozen years ago during a midnight beach walk we were startled to discover hundreds of toads milling around on the beach…never knew why, but imagined it had to do with a high density of some beach bug…but maybe it was for the mineral salts?
Thank you, Myra! I’m so glad you enjoy these posts. It’s very encouraging to know there are readers out there. I would loved to have been on that beach. Very H.P. Lovecraft-sounding!
This one really brightened my morning. Thanks so much.
Thanks for taking us on your adventures.
Susan: thank you for coming along!