Freak Frog Grows Fifth Leg

Reptile fan John Clarke was stunned when he discovered one of his baby frogs had sprouted a FIFTH leg from the throat!

Now the Argentinean horned frog,which will reach the size of a dinner plate at maturity,is set to tour the country,appearing at exhibitions of the rare and wonderful.

John,32,of Greater Manchester,bred the creature at his home after five years of studying the animal.

"You only get one chance each year to spawn the frogs,and until last year I was unsuccessful."

This year he bred an amazing 4,000 baby frogs - but it is the five-legged freak which stands out from the crowd.

John,who owns a reptile shop,used the frogs,which are mainly imported to Britain from America,to swop with other breeders.

But he has decided to keep the five-legged frog as a pet.

"I won't be able to tell if it is male or female until it is about 12 months old.

"But I won't breed from it because of its extra leg,which means it must have a genetic deformity.

"The only way to deal with it would be by a complete amputation,but it doesn't affect its eating so I'll probably leave it alone."

John,who claims to be the first person in the world to breed the Smokey Jungle Frog in captivity,said "I've never seen anything like it in my life."