Strange sighting
I saw this frog ( pictured below) in early March in Aberdeenshire. Why is it red? Jules Howard, zoologist and presenter, replies: Gorgeous and (probably) wholly natural! Common frogs turn up in a range of patterns in gardens and the wild, including mottled reds, pinks and yellows. Some argue it could be a sign of genetic inbreeding. Others say they are simply natural variations that don’t normally survive long in the wild, but persist for longer in gardens where there are fewer predators. They may be a mix of both – the truth is, I’m not sure we yet know the answer!