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Three-Headed Frog? Nope—It's A Mating Ball

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Anonymous

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3 Headed Frog found in my home town

Copied from the press

WILDLIFE experts have been stunned by the apparent discovery of a three-headed frog hopping around the garden of a children’s nursery.

Kids were left goggle eyed by the sight of the strange, multi-faced creature, which also has six legs.

Staff at the Green Umbrella nursery in Weston-Super-Mare believed the mutant amphibian was three frogs huddled together at first.

But they soon realised it was just one animal with three croaking heads.

Animal experts were today trying to capture the frog to carry out further tests to investigate its biological make-up.

Mike Dilger, a wildlife biologist from the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, said: "I have never seen anything like this before and as far as I am aware it is unprecedented.

"Frogs have a very primitive embryology - so the occasional extra toe is not that unusual. But this is something different."

He added that the reason for the three-headed frog’s development could have been damage to the embryo, a spontaneous mutation such as that of conjoined human twins or factors in the environment, including pollution and changing climate.
...................................................

All of this in the same town where a cat gets an invite to join a gym. I am proud to be a native of this strange little mud hole


:blah:
 
Just saw this! Any precident for a three-headed animal?
 
There is a news report here:

news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_1494110,00.html
Link is dead. No archived version found.

but I can't get at it.

Emps
 
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ahhhhhhhhhhh here we go:

'Warning' over three-headed frog

Children in a nursery were shocked when they spotted a three-headed frog hopping in their garden.

The creature - which has six legs - has stunned BBC wildlife experts who warned it could be an early warning of environmental problems.

Laura Pepper, from the Green Umbrella nursery in Weston-super-Mare, said: "We thought it was three frogs huddled together at first.

"It is very strange. The children couldn't believe it."

Mike Dilger, from the BBC Natural History Unit, added: "I have never seen anything like this.

"Frogs are primitive animals - so the occasional extra toe is not that unusual. But this is very unusual."

All the creature's eyes and legs appear to function normally, but it is not known whether it eats using all three of its mouths.

The mystery amphibian is currently the subject of a frog-hunt after it hopped away and disappeared as staff at the nursery showed it to curious parents.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/somerset/3534361.stm

Published: 2004/03/05 18:48:47 GMT

© BBC MMIV
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I assume the picture (attached is of the actual creature).
Picture / attachment is MIA. See later post for salvaged version.

See also:

theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/06/1078464671364.html
thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004103085,00.html
news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2612578
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/540431.cms
All links dead. No archived version found.

Emps
 
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cool frog

who saw that great frog on the news tonight?

it was three frogs fused together...like one frog with parasitic twins or something.

some kids found it in the school pond.

it was pretty disturbing actually.

i loved it.
 
i should learn to read other posts before i post, shouldn't i?

when are we going to find a three headed child though?

that would be the best.

the bloke on the tv poked the frog and it jumped.

reckon they would poke the kid to make it move?
 
Err, it was two males and a female in amplexus (mating). Triolism anyone?:eek:
 
Two males and a female in amplexus, sorry to disapoint,
 
I'm not fond of frogs at the best of times that picture has just made me feel sick whatever it is :cross eye

Theres a breed of frog that somehow gets it's eggs onto it's back and then grows it's skin around them. When hatched the little darlings burst out of the mothers back, I remember reading that as a kid and it still turns my stomach.....also my grandfather once found and showed me a toad...ugh!!!! Big (and I mean BIG!!), moist, warty, grey creature..........*shiver*
 
Lots of frogs and toads in my garden.Used to keep lots of them in my bedroom when I was a kid,(and newts, lizards,snakes ect) had a huge female toad, she was very tame would eat worms by hand.She was lovely.
 
Lillith said:
Theres a breed of frog that somehow gets it's eggs onto it's back and then grows it's skin around them. When hatched the little darlings burst out of the mothers back, I remember reading that as a kid and it still turns my stomach.....
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There are also some speices that incubate the tadpoles in a special "sack" in the mouth, until the froglets are developed, then they "reguritate" hem out to the open.Enjoy!.
 
You evil swine!! Remind me to prey on your deepest fears some day ;)

PM me your deepest fear, no reason, just interested :devil:
 
Lillith said:
You evil swine!! Remind me to prey on your deepest fears some day ;)

[/SIZE]
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Bit of a natural history buff, could regale you with lots more gruesome stuff if you want?.:D
 
Wellllllll, in the interests of fortean science go ahead...I'll sit here with the duvet pulled up to my eyes and look green.......just don't mention spiders or slugs, or spiders, or beetles or spiders or spiders
 
What was that about spiders?, the big hairy.............I'll stop there!:eek!!!!:
 
If it was indeed a three-headed frog and not a group of 'friendly' frogs, exactly how fast would it have been able to hop away from a large group of people?

Would it not have been slower than the average frog or at least hindered in some way like with the extra weight slowing it down.

Oh and why would you turn your back on a 'mutant' frog without making sure it was in no position to leg it, so to speak?
 
Ribbit!

Froggy threads merged.

Jane.
 
Lillith said:
Wellllllll, in the interests of fortean science go ahead...I'll sit here with the duvet pulled up to my eyes and look green.......just don't mention spiders or slugs, or spiders, or beetles or spiders or spiders
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(whisper) I'm not really that keen on picking spiders up, prefer to catch them in an up turned glass!.
 
Re: 3 Headed Frog found in my home town

Chriswsm said:
......which also has six legs........Animal experts were today trying to capture the frog
Click to expand...

Like it! I'm sure there's an old joke in there somewhere.
 
It does appear to be the real deal... again anyone know any precedent for a three headed beastie, and any zoologically-minded folk any idea how it happened?
 
Two males and a female in amplexus, sorry to disapoint,
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Oh aye, sorry thought was speculation.

That's odd, cos it was on the TV news and surely they'd have noticed it wasn't actually conjoined?!... ah well. Daft buggers.
 
Evilsprout said:
cos it was on the TV news and surely they'd have noticed it wasn't actually conjoined?!... ah well. Daft buggers.
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Just shows how if one person says something, no one else has really checked it out they've just accepted it.
 
Hang on. I am a bit lost :confused:

Is a freak frog or a forggy orgy ?

What is the source of the proof? A 3 headed anything is bloody unlikely but which expert said what and where?
 
I think the problem is that the frog has flown (as it were):

Three-headed mutant frog hops it

Sam Jones
Saturday March 6, 2004
The Guardian

A rare and rather ugly beast is lurking in the waters of Weston-super-Mare after escaping from captivity - and youngsters at a local day nursery want it back again.

Froggy, a three-headed, six-legged mutant frog, whose deformity may be linked to genetic defect or pollution, was discovered in the garden of the seaside resort's Green Umbrella nursery on Thursday.

Staff managed to catch it and install it in a tank but, by the time news of its fame had got around yesterday, Froggy had hopped it.

"One of the kids spotted the frog after he was dropped off at about 8am," said Charlotte Williams, who works at the nursery. "It was completely bizarre and a bit ugly."

The youngsters decided to name the amazing amphibian Froggy. "The kids are only three or four," explained Miss Williams. "Personally, I prefer to call it the Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

Froggy quickly spawned a local legend, attracting parents as well as children to the Green Umbrella. But by Friday morning, they were disappointed to find that the nursery's celebrity had vanished.

"Loads of people came in for a look at Froggy and, in all the excitement, it managed to escape from its tank," said Miss Williams. "As it's spawning season, we're staking out our pond."

Tim Halliday, professor of biology at the Open University and international director of a task force studying the declining amphibian population, said: "I've never heard of a frog like this before.

"People have been reporting mutant frogs for 200 years, but to find one with three heads and six legs is very rare."

He said the mutation could have been caused by a genetic defect or a parasite, or that pollution could have upset the frog's hormones while it was developing.

"Chemical pollutants tend to reduce a frog's ability to resist parasites, so there could be a connection between the two," he said.

Staff and children at the Green Umbrella were continuing to search for Froggy yesterday as speculation grew that he had gone a-courting.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1163331,00.html

I suspect the experts are going on reports and a couple of unclear photos (the Grauniad has a different photo to the above) - the problem may lie in the willingness of 'experts' to make sweeping statements on scanty information.

I am also suspicious about the frog escape too - have they underestimated the press interest and got rid of less than mutant frog?

Emps
 
Or perhaps one of the locals realised that someone may be willing to pay for such a curious creature and frognapped it.
 
Chriswsm said:
Or perhaps one of the locals realised that someone may be willing to pay for such a curious creature and frognapped it.
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LOL - I know I would have tried to half inch the wee beastie ;)

Emps
 
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