Mystery of the Three-Headed Frog

image At the beginning of March a news story about a three-headed frog found in England swept around the internet. Experts warned that the appearance of such a mutation could be a sign of impending environmental problems. But science journalist Ray Girvan thinks we shouldn't be jumping to conclusions. To him the three-headed frog actually looks like three separate frogs clasping together, engaged in a well-documented frog mating behavior called multiple amplexus. He points out that the frog heads are different colors, which is not what you would expect if this was one frog with three heads. Not a hoax, I suppose, but a misinterpretation. Unless you consider that the frogs were hoaxing the humans.

Animals

Posted on Sun Mar 21, 2004


Comments

This has already been explained. There's a parasite that attacks the tadpole and causes it to mutate...it's then easy for wading birds to catch. They eat the frogs...the parasite reproduces in the bird's bowels...the bird poops our the adult parasites and they attack the next bunch of tadpoles. It was all over the US a while ago...they shouted from the rooftops that we were next!! When an explanation was found...one that was perfectly natural...no one seemed to care.
Posted by Gee  on  Mon Mar 22, 2004  at  05:29 PM
I personally, don't care, as long as it doesn't get into weasels, cause, man, those things are like, jumpy!! And evil.
Posted by Jules  on  Mon Mar 22, 2004  at  07:08 PM
I'd hate to be that head on the bottom of the other two, you know he's not taking precidence....
Posted by Darren  on  Wed Mar 24, 2004  at  10:11 AM
Except - if you check out this page - the parasite doesn't cause this type of mutation. It characteristically invades the cloacal tissue and disrupts the hind limb budding process. You see distorted back legs and multiple back legs - not three heads and bodies.
Posted by Ray Girvan  on  Sat Apr 03, 2004  at  09:22 AM
It's so obviously three frogs on top of each other. A very well known behavior. I actually tried to imagine one frog with three heads. I couldn't. Sometimes this site makes me feel depressed, seeing how stupid the human race is.
Posted by Isaac  on  Tue Sep 28, 2004  at  08:58 AM
Who and I mean it!!! I think that their one step closer to ruling the world...RRRUUNNNN!!!!!!!!
Posted by BATgrl  on  Sat Apr 09, 2005  at  03:04 PM
"Cry havoc and let slip the frogs of war!"
Posted by Lounge Lizard  on  Sat Jul 08, 2006  at  05:31 PM
my daughter was one of the children who found teh 3 headed frog and i saw it the day they found it, I can assure everyone it was not a fake, it was a cluster of 1 female and 2 male frogs trying to mate.

The thing is, when you're 4 and you see this frog with 3 heads, the imagination runs and all sorts of things are said.

And yes, she is still talking about it to this day.

jessica payne
Posted by jessica  on  Thu Sep 27, 2007  at  03:27 PM
It is NOT a three-headed frog but 1 female and 2 males engaged in a very well documented mating ritual. The possibility this frog is mutated has been 100% disproved already.
Posted by Steve  on  Fri Jun 06, 2008  at  05:23 PM
100% not real. It's 3 frogs in aplexus
Posted by BIG  on  Sat Aug 30, 2008  at  03:24 PM
It is three frogs ontop of each other. Its very much clear.
Posted by Ashley H.`  on  Sun Nov 02, 2008  at  07:15 PM
Why are you commenting on a story about 3 frogs mating to say they are actually 3 frogs mating? Did you even read the post you are commenting on?
Posted by M  on  Tue Jan 08, 2013  at  06:24 AM
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