Tadpoles (Episode 1)
Remember a few weeks ago when the frogs in the pond across the road were having their annual spring fling? Well, here’s the result of all that fun:
Baby froggies, better known as tadpoles or pollywogs. This one is a few weeks old, and measures about 1 centimeter or 3/8 inch long. Unlike adult frogs who eat bugs, tadpoles eat algae and other plant matter. They don’t have arms or legs yet, and instead of breathing air, they breathe with internal gills.
In the coming weeks, they will gradually grow legs with webbed feet, lungs will grow to replace the gills, arms will form and the tail will be absorbed.
But for now, this little tadople swims around in a tank at our house so we can take pictures of him to share as he turns into a frog.
Stay tuned.
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I love tadpoles. So fun to watch them grow and change.
This will be an interesting process to follow!
We watched a caterpillar change into a butterfly last year, and next I’d love my son and I to watch a tadpole turn into a frog! Look forward to seeing yours until we have one of our own.
I did that too as a kid, watched a caterpillar turn into a monarch butterfly. I hope to do that again this year and posts on that too.
Hi there. I don’t know if children or home schooling are part of your future plans…but if either of them are, you are going to make a wonderful mom and a wonderful home school teacher! You take ordinary things just a little deeper until they’re interesting – the perfect foundation for education (and motherhood!). 🙂
Oh Thank You, Catherine,
We are wanting to start a family, and soon, as we are both in our early 40s. Small difficulty though as the stork has been ignoring our requests. 🙂 We keep hoping and praying though.
Cool. I haven’t seen one in years! We used to hunt tadpoles and frogs every year when I was a kid. Such memories, thanks!
Cute to see this little tadpole guy up close and personal! We used to “raise” tadpoles every year in a bowl in our dining room when my sons were little, and then the boys would turn the little froggies loose in the garden.
My brothers and I used to love to go to the creek and watch all the tadpoles. I can’t imagine growing up without having that fun.
Growing up with a pond by our house, we used to catch tadpoles all the time. I was just thinking: I bet some children have never seen them!
Thanks for the memory!
I suspect so, and I’m enjoying bringing the pics to everyone. I caught tadpoles as a kid and watched them grow into little froggies a lot. But away from the country I don’t imagine a lot of kids ever see this.
This will be fun and interesting.
Oh my gosh, I haven’t thought about tadpoles in a million years, and I loved them as a kid! Great photos.