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Anaxyrus (Bufo) fowleri
Spherical black eggs in a clear jelly string.
Shallow water at edge of a river, where the banks are silty. Water was slow there. Did not appear to be anchored to anything. Toads love this spot. I found several more of these clusters of eggs, all along the river bank, and there were tons of little black tadpoles (same species). I also found an adult Fowler's Toad in a hole in a nearby tree. Ben Burton Park, near Athens, GA.
Thanks, Emma, for the ID help : ) I originally labeled these as American Toad eggs, but based on the location and the time of year, plus the sighting of a Fowler's Toad nearby, I think this is the more likely species. (American Toads' breeding season is over in Georgia, and their tadpoles should be maturing by this time of year. Fowler's Toads breed later.)
7 Comments
Mandy,toads usually lay eggs in strips whereas frogs lay them in clusters.
Thanks, Goody! That series of yours is pretty awesome.
Check out the last photo in this series to see what frog eggs typically look like:
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/910...
Emma, how can you tell the difference between frog eggs and toad eggs?
Wow, that many, and with partitions between them?! That's incredible!
In the case of Eastern American Toad,"2,000-20,000 eggs are laid in a pair of long jelly-like strings with partitions between each egg keeping them separate".
Mandy ,these are very likely toad eggs.