Tadpole ID? D.C. Area U.S., pics
As you can hopefully see, he's a mottled sandy brown on top (his tail is partially transparent, also heavily spotted). Eyes are distinctive with lines through them. There is a white line near his nostrils and mouth on the outsides - but not through the middle between them. His underside is cream to white, some spotting, and mostly opaque. Perhaps a slight tinge of pink in places. He also has a uniquely up-turned body shape - the eyes carry quite high relative to the...er, chest?...He was found in a sandy/forest area with a small temporary creek that was about dried up (and he seemed to be developing slower than the other tadpoles I saw...), so I brought him home. There were quite a few other tadpoles in the same area.
He's pretty big - I'd say a good 2+ inches long. I initially thought he might be a bullfrog, but he seems to be getting a leg bud on one side, and the creek he was in doesn't stay wet enough for him to be the year or more that a bullfrog would need. I'm thinking maybe pig frog, Southern leopard, bronze frog, or maybe he is a bullfrog.
I've got him in a fishbowl for now, and I'm setting up a 20 gallon terrarium...but I think it would be a good idea to get an ID on him, so that I can be better prepared to care for him properly...Especially if he is a big bull frog and needs more space than that. Anyone recognize or think they have a guess at what he might be?
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