The conservation group Froglife said the discovery of at least four separate blobs of albino spawn could signal a significant population of frogs carrying the rare recessive gene for albinism.

The location of the pond is to be kept secret while further research is undertaken, the conservation group said Wednesday in a news release.

Lucy Benyon, Froglife's Wildlife Information Officer, said the discovery is unusual because albino amphibians usually fail to live to a breeding age. "Their white coloration makes them a blindingly conspicuous beacon for the various animals that depend on frogs for food," she said.