The mystery of the orange frogs found hopping through the snow in a Derby back-alley
- Derby man spotted the strange creatures in a snow-covered alley
- He thought they were toys until one moved as he tried to touch it
- He is keeping them in a bowl of water at his home - but wants wildlife experts to come and take them off his hands
- No experts have yet got back to positively identify the amphibians
By DAMIEN GAYLE
|
==========================================
Mysterious orange frogs that appeared in the snow in Derby have left experts baffled.
Four of the strange amphibians were spotted in the snow, but wildlife experts are so far stumped about what they are.
Steve Atkin, 55, spotted the strange creatures in a snow-covered alley behind his house in the city's south-west.
Scroll down for video
Mysterious: One of the orange-coloured amphibians found by a Derby man as they hopped about in the snow in an alleyway behind his house
'I want someone to take them off my hands': Steve Atkin spotted the frogs in an alley and his wife told him to go and rescue them. He's got them in a bowl of water in his house but wants experts to step in
He thought they were toys but got a shock when he reached out to touch one.
'I saw what looked like a frog sticking out of the snow and I thought it was a toy but it moved when I went to touch it,' he said.
'I told my wife and she told me to go and rescue them. I've got them in a bowl of water at my house. I have no idea what they are.
'There were four of them but one has died. I want someone who knows what they are to take them off my hands.'
Tiny: One of the frogs is pictured next to a 50p piece to show its size. Experts have not yet identified them
Mystery: Pictures and video have been sent to the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, the Natural History Museum and the Zoological Society of London in an effort to get the unusual amphibians properly identified
Pictures and video footage of the frogs were sent to the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, but no one knew what they were.
Chris Wood, from the trust, said he had asked experts in Manchester to try to identify the creatures.
He feared the potential impact a species from overseas could have on native wildlife.
'We are a bit stumped by this one, definitely not a native though,' he said.
'We don't know what they are yet but we are always a little concerned about alien species escaping from captivity, as it can sometimes have dire consequences for our own wildlife.
'We would want to avoid that type of situation.'
MailOnline has contacted the Natural History Museum and the Zoological Society of London in an attempt to get an identification, but so far there has been no response.
No comments:
Post a Comment