Tadpoles

tadpolesOne 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. Bufo bufoIt 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.” IMG_3017Speaking 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.

5 Responses to “Tadpoles”


  1. 1 Myra Klockenbrink August 11, 2015 at 8:10 am

    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?

    • 2 mthew August 11, 2015 at 1:07 pm

      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!

  2. 3 Nic August 11, 2015 at 10:10 am

    This one really brightened my morning. Thanks so much.

  3. 4 Susan August 11, 2015 at 10:30 am

    Thanks for taking us on your adventures.


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