Tadpole Doctor

A citizen science project to understand the spread of infectious disease in tadpoles

Learn more!

This project has now ended. Thank you to the 66 participants. Our results are now published in ISME Communications!

Read the Paper
An upclose photograph of a green frog in a scientist's hands.

About Tadpole Doctor

  • - Worldwide many groups of frogs are in danger of extinction
  • - A key threat to frogs is the spread of infectious disease
  • - One newly identified disease infects tadpoles
  • - This disease has been detected in the UK
  • - As a community, we can track this disease and help plan conservation strategies
Our survey is now closed, thank you to everyone who reported sightings!
Illustration of a doctor examining a tadpole.

Disease in your Tadpoles?

Our survey is now closed. Thank you to everyone who took part.

If you are observing signs of ill-health in tadpoles or adult amphibians, please report them to www.gardenwildlifehealth.org

Illustration of a pond water sample.

Schools Scientific Survey Program

Watch Video

The project has now ended, thank you to all the schools that took part!

Curriculum Materials - Click to Download PDF

Map of our Community Results

Our community sampled 39 ponds across 29 postcode districts. Click a point to see the results.

Points show the centre of each postcode district, not exact locations, to protect participants' privacy.

Updated August 2026

The logo of the University of Oxford and the Department of Biology.

Our Host

The Department of Biology at the University of Oxford

A photograph of a frog.

Press

Illustration of a sick tadpole in a hospital bed.

External Links

A collage of photographs from the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.

Royal Society: Friends and foes in our ponds.

Our Research Website

protists.co.uk

Email

contact@tadpole-doctor.co.uk