The Toads Found Alive Inside Rock
Quarrymen splitting stone said that a living toad hopped out of a hollow in the solid rock, where it must have been sealed for thousands of years.
What was reported
For centuries, quarry workers and miners in Britain, France and elsewhere told of breaking open a solid rock or block of coal and finding a live toad or frog inside, sealed in a hollow just its size. In 1865, workmen at Hartlepool said they had found one inside a block of limestone. Its body was kept and is now in a local museum.
The cases fascinated scientists. In 1825, the geologist William Buckland sealed toads inside blocks of stone to test whether they could survive. They didn't, at least not for long.
Explanations offered
Most scientists think the toads crawled into cracks while young, or that the finds were mistakes or hoaxes, since no one saw a toad emerge from an unbroken rock under controlled conditions. Toads can survive long periods underground in a dormant state, which may have helped the stories seem believable.
- When
- Reported for centuries; the Hartlepool toad in 1865
- Where
- Hartlepool, County Durham, England, UK
- Witnesses
- Quarrymen and miners
- Status
- Probably not
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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