Frog refuge - Ines Labunski Roberts - Wildlife Photographer of the Year2007

2007: Behaviour: All Other Animals - Highly Commended

Ines Labunski Roberts Enlarge image Frog refuge

Ines Labunski Roberts (United Kingdom)

Frog refuge

'One winter morning, I found this huddle of young American bullfrogs in an open drainpipe. They were near a thermal pool in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada, and some were swimming in it. Dead frogs nearby could have been victims of a severe frost the previous night. The drain and the warmth from the pool might have saved these six.' There are more than 5,300 species of frog and toads. Most breathe through their skin, through a process called cutaneous gas exchange, but they also have lungs. The American bullfrog is native to North America, and usually green or brown. Adults can grow up to 20 centimetres, and they are sometimes farmed as food - their hind legs making it onto the menu.

Canon EOS 20D + Canon 24–85mm lens; 1/200 sec probably at f8.