Tadpole
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Tadpole (disambiguation).
A tadpole (also known as a pollywog or polliwog) is a larval amphibian, the juvenile form of a frog, toad, newt, salamander, or caecilian.
During the tadpole stage of an amphibians life cycle, it breathes by means of external or internal gills. It initially lacks legs and arms, and has a fin-like tail with which it swims by lateral undulation, similar to most fish. As a tadpole matures, it metamorphoses by gradually growing limbs and then (in the case of frogs) absorbing its tail by apoptosis. Lungs develop around the time of leg development, and tadpoles will often swim to the surface of the water to breath air. During the final stages of metamorphosis, the tadpole's mouth must change from a small round mouth at the front of the head, to a large mouth the same width as the head. The intestine will shorten to accommodate the frog's carnivorous diet.
Most tadpoles are herbivorous, subsisting on algae and plants. Some species are omnivorous, eating detritus whenever available, and other tadpoles.
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