On August 22, local villagers in Xingtang County, Hebei Province found large numbers of deformed, three-legged frogs in old mining pits where pools of water had formed during the rainy season.
These deformed frogs were just 2 centimeters long (less than an inch) and looked as if they had just transformed from tadpoles. Other than missing a leg, the frogs looked the same as normal ones. The mine owner said he had never noticed this kind of frog before.
The cause for the deformation is not known.