Life Cycle of a Tadpole Growing to a Adult Frog

Frog Eggs

• The female frog lays thousands of eggs, but majority do not hatch. Birds and other small animals eat some eggs, and some do not get fertilized. Other eggs dry up in the sun or get broken. The eggs hatch after 6 days to 21 days, depending on the species. Frog eggs are usually found in calm pond waters. The static water prevents the eggs from getting washed away.

Tadpole

• As soon as the tadpole hatches, it starts feeding on the remaining yolk in its intestines by absorbing nutrients from it. The newly emergent tadpole has a poorly developed mouth, gills and tail. It breathes through its skin. It latches onto floating grass or weed using specially adapted organs, known as cement organs or suckers. These suckers are located between its mouth and stomach. Seven to 10 days after hatching, the tadpole begins swimming and feeds on algae. Four weeks after hatching, skin starts growing over the gills. The tadpole develops tiny teeth that help it crush water plants and algae.

Tadpole with Legs

• After six to nine weeks, the tadpole develops tiny hind legs, and then the fore legs begin to develop. Elbows appear first. The head gets a more distinctive shape, and the body begins to elongate. The diet too changes. The tadpole now consumes dead insects and plants. By the time the tadpole is nine weeks old, it resembles a small frog but has a long tail.

Froglet

• At 12 weeks, the tadpole's tail becomes a short stub, and the tadpole looks more like a small adult frog. Soon it will be ready to leave its watery dwelling and move to land. It shifts from the center of the water body to the edges.

Adult Frog

• Between 12 and 16 weeks, the tadpole turns into an adult frog. The metamorphosis is complete, but length depends greatly on the water temperature and climate. In colder locales, the tadpole may take the entire winter to metamorphose. The moment the tail stump gets absorbed by the body, the adult frog moves out of the water, where it feeds on insects, mosquitoes and flies. Once the adult frog is ready to breed, it returns to the water.