Miniature leap for frog-kind

Published on Saturday 5 July 2008 00:48

TRAFFIC was brought to a halt yesterday to allow thousands of tiny frogs and toads to leave the loch where they had grown from spawn to tadpoles to fully-formed animals.

The frogs and toads, the size of the tip of a little finger, made their way from Holyrood Park's Dunsapie Loch to the swampy crevices of Arthur's Seat.

Although the migration happens most years, the tiny creatures have this year surprised experts by hatching earlier than usual due to the warmer weather.

Martin Gray, Rangers service manager, said: "They're a very enthusiastic bunch. Most of them have been getting across fine.

"Although they can jump and they're very good at getting round obstacles, kerbs and drains can cause a problem so the maintenance team have put special covers over them to stop them falling through."

Information about the 450 mating pairs of frogs and toads will be collated for a national wildlife database.