Are these the most pampered tadpoles in Sussex? Fed on only wild fish -- Canadian wild salmon and North Sea haddock, plus calves' liver and then "goldfish food" (tadpoles' equivalent of a leading brand breakfast cereal perhaps) they are safe from predators and are thriving.
Metamorphosis is quite extraordinary. Just look how the simple tadpole is now becoming almost square shaped as bumps have grown where the hind legs will appear.
The great variation in size between tadpoles is also surprising. It might be genetic variation, or just luck in getting better food (or not) at critical times. My tadpoles are a bit dozy sometimes, in finding the food that they are fed.
I should add that these tadpoles - safe in their builders' bucket, are protected from the elements and cold night air in my "lean to" by my kitchen. Being cold-blooded, their development is much faster in the warm, than their siblings in the freezer trays outside. Sadly the lashings of rain last night on my freezer tray nurseries, caused some tadpoles to be washed overboard, only to perish on a flagstone.
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