
Three-headed mutant frog hops it
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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