So on March, 30th, 1996, I took a glass of pond water and some dozens of eggs in it, and put it in a small transparent box ...
Of course I tried to recreate a small natural environment; you can see sand and small rocks; water was changed every two or three days, never completely.
I kept a diary of the fascinating changes taking place daily: suffice here to give some samples:
- March, 22nd: egg-laying in the pond (approx.)
March, 30th: eggs taken in home
April, 2nd: individual mobility
April, 5th: 1 cm of lenght, visible tail
April, 10th: they run to eat triturated fish food
April, 12nd: small eyes can be seen
- April, 18th: small legs appear
April, 30th: 2 cm of lenght
May, 8th: they swim clearly with their legs also
May, 15th: one of them has all four legs
May, 19th: they can come out of the water, "sitting" on the rocks
It had been a very interesting experience, we practically could see the whole evolution process, from egg to tadpole to small toad, day by day!
