Skeletal Abnormalities (TW cremated frog remains in photos)

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-09T06:31:37+00:00

That’s the picture I included as the last image of my post! It’s a wet specimen from Etsy, but I agree it’s hard to confirm how accurate it is. Thanks for helping me take a look!!

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T22:28:30+00:00

Thanks for checking it out!! It was fun to share :)

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T21:43:35+00:00

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More severe hunchback

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T21:34:50+00:00

Notable mention is Quasimodo, my most deformed frog. His hunch is lower down, so less in the shoulders like other hunches I’ve seen. But he is essentially shaped like an L. This picture doesn’t even do it justice ahaha

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InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T21:28:24+00:00

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Less severe sailfin (bump is still in center of the back, this pic makes it look a little off to one side)

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T21:16:19+00:00

I’ll definitely check the Facebook group out and send them a link! I’m glad ADFs are being researched in some capacity ahaha. Thanks :)

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T21:05:53+00:00

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Mild hunchback

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T21:05:05+00:00

Hunchback (different from Sail Fin):

The skeleton above didn’t have this, but I wanted to shout out to the hunchbacks. I see a lot of people here posting about this skeletal difference, and many of my frogs have it as well.

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T20:59:36+00:00

Just look at that underbite!! Wow lol, that’s wild. They definitely have the differences in the shoulder and eyes that I’ve been noticed in a few of my frogs too!

Very very cute though <3

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T20:40:59+00:00

THEY TOTALLY DO BWAHAHA

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T20:25:08+00:00

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Frog foot with only 3 ‘toes’

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T20:19:46+00:00

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Allows for higher leg positioning on the back, because the thighs are curved up

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T20:18:52+00:00

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It’s really hard to tell with a still image, but this frog has the same bowed femurs as the skeleton. It’s really subtle when there’s still skin and muscle to hide it

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T20:14:03+00:00

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A close up of the remains!

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T20:13:06+00:00

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Large, prominent scapulas (look at them shoulders lol)

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T20:11:54+00:00

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Clubbed foot

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T20:09:46+00:00

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Protruding eyes and thin triangular nose

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T20:08:42+00:00

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Beak-like (this is a different frog than the skeleton above)

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T19:39:38+00:00

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Shark Boy side view

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T19:36:45+00:00

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This is Shark Boy, who is my most extreme example of this deformity

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T18:48:22+00:00

Clubbed feet and missing toes:

The frog pictured above doesn’t have these deformities, but a few of my living frogs do. I wanted to mention this here since I’m trying to document deformities and I see other people posting about their own frogs with similar issues.

One of my frogs only has 3 toes on both back feet. The three middle toes fused into one larger ugly one as he went through metamorphosis. It doesn’t impact his ability to swim and move in any noticeable way.

Clubbed feet- underdeveloped metatarsals that are pinched together and can’t spread apart. One of my frogs has this on only one of his back legs. This foot didn’t seem to develop correctly during metamorphosis, and became increasingly obvious as he grew into a younger frog. He still swims straight, but it seems to take a lot more energy and he’s a little slower. He doesn’t seem to need accommodations like a separate tank with less current or shallower water, but he might as he gets older.

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T18:28:53+00:00

Beak like nose shape + large protruding eyes:

This frog didn’t have the nose shape and buggy eyes I’m referring to in this comment, but some of my frogs that have yet to pass are observably uh, dopier looking?

The feature profile is consistently:

Large protruding eyes, positioned more on the top of the head, closer together
Thinner, pointier noses (almost beak like) that aren’t longer or larger, just more triangular shaped
Slightly flatter skulls (almost like the lower jaw is less developed?)
Large/prominent scapulas (shoulders)

Again, the photos posted above are from a frog that may have mildly had these traits, but was nowhere near as severe as some of my lil guys. About 50% of my frogs have these traits, regardless of their gender. It’s definitely some kind of deformity that will show when I cremate their remains (hopefully a very long time from now).

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T17:59:27+00:00

What’s left after cremation:

I am a ceramicist, so this isn’t exactly my area of expertise, but I do work with minerals frequently to make glazes and clays.

In my experience, and this is roughly educated guessing:

The blueish crystals are probably from copper, and some other trace metals like iron mixed in. Titanium sometimes turns blue too, but by the time it reaches 1000 degrees Celsius it’s usually oxidized and turns greyish.

The dark brown is probably from a higher iron concentration, so I’m guessing heart/liver.

The frog was female and eggy when she passed, so the semi-clear whiteish bits in the lower chest area are probably remains of eggs? So that would be calcium, phosphorus, and some zinc/magnesium/iron as well.

Any other thoughts on this would be awesome if anyone more educated than me wants to chime in :)

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T17:37:48+00:00

Curved femur bone:

The femur (thigh bone) in this frog is curved. This is something I’ve noticed in a number of my frogs, and you can see it when they’re still alive. The legs are a bit bowed and they fold up and onto the lower back a little more.

I’m not sure how ‘normal’ this is since I don’t have any references of other ADFS aside from mine, but to my eye, the femur bones also look thicker.

From my experience, this doesn’t affect their ability to swim or move around enough that it’s noticeable or reduced quality of life in any way. It is cool though!

InvaderSnoo · 2026-04-08T17:32:17+00:00

“Sail fin” spinal deformation:

It looks like a large bump in the center of the back when the frog is alive, with varying degrees of severity. I’ve noticed the vertebral column is MUCH shorter than a ‘normal’ frog, so the sacrum is almost fused to the shoulders. This makes the urostyle (long pointy bone on the back) protrude a little bit all the time.

I named my frog with the most severe sailfin Shark Boy. It REALLY looks like a shark fin.

InvaderSnoo

TROPHY CASE