Please can you identify this for me?

[alison1977uk]

A software engineer friend of mine took this photo back in November.

These are the exact details:

To give an idea of scale it is about 1 metre in diameter.
It was taken on November 26, 2005 in Godalming, Surrey, in a park on the edge of town (which is to say, 2 minutes walk from the center of town). This is roughly the correct area: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en ... 5,0.019977

That's about the extent of the info i can give.

There's a very good chance i'll head back there (possibly this weekend) to see if i can find out anything else about it.

To me it looks like some kind of spawn.

Can anyone help me in identifying it?

[MrMistery]

crocodile eggs?

[alison1977uk]

I thought they were more leathery in shell texture lol.

Anyway if you look closely you can see the tadpoles inside. I found another photo on the net taken in the same area. A little freaky don't you think?

[MrMistery]

like i said i think they are reptile eggs. perhaps laid by some snake or other big reptile.

[Dr.Stein]

Looks like fish egg The black thing inside must be the embryo and the yellow orange thing is the yolk. They do not have egg shell or it could be transparent then. Aww I sound like a detective eh?

[alison1977uk]

Yeah could be fish but they look rather spawn like still. I am pretty sure they are not anything reptilian. They look either from something amphibian or possibly a fish but then again it looks like nothing I have ever seen before.

The other independant siting was in Godalming also and was described as "giant frog spawn". I've searched the internet but so far have found nothing else. I still wouldn't rule out a hoax.

[alison1977uk]

POISON - I would say this was the one to keep

[alison1977uk]

Well with much digging and an email I have found the answer.

"Hi Alison

In fact this frogspawn is produced by the giant species Rana Gavindulleus.
It is extremely rare and consequently the small park in Godalming in which
it is located has been designated an ISSSI (International Site of Special
Scientific Interest). The sensitivity surrounding this endangered species is
also why we keep our photograph in a restricted area. You were very lucky to
have found it.

R. Gavindulleus is currently the subject of research at several
international institutions and you may be interested to read the lead paper
by eminent Russian zoologist J. Vissarionovich Djugashvili:

Ýòà èêðà ëÿãóøêè âåðîÿòíî ñäåëàíà èç ñòàêàíà(ñòåêëà) âîëîêíà íåêîòîðûì
ñóìàñøåäøèì õóäîæíèêîì 2005(19):1-26.

I hope that this helps.

Richard
"

[Poison]

So I'm deleting the other. Is it OK?

[MrMistery]

Delete it....

A giant frog!! i can't believe it...

[alison1977uk]

You know what I still think it reaks of a practical joke!

I'd watch the news around April 1st if I were you.

I've tried googling the species name and can't find it. A giant frog a foot long I could believe but looking again at the picture the size would have to be enormous and I don't think that is physiologically possible.

It is so hard to tell anything from a photograph. Well it has been an interesting talking point nonetheless.

[Dr.Stein]

I want to meet the frog, maybe if we kiss it it would turn into prince charming