Tadpoles and Frogs:

Tadpoles, also known as polliwogs, are the larval stage of the life cycle of frogs or toads.  They metamorphosize from the tadpole stage into a fully grown frog or toad in 12 to 16 weeks.  When the tadpoles first emerge from the egg, they attach themselves to submerged leaves or grasses where they remain “stuck” for about 1 week.  Here, they consume the remaining yolk from their own egg.  After 7 to 10 days, they will detach from the pond’s bottom and begin to consume algae and phytoplankton.  At this point, they have one long tail to help them swim through the water.  After 4 to 7 weeks the tadpole will begin to develop lungs.  During this time, the tadpoles will begin to spend more time at the surface of the water to breathe.  After 6 to 9 weeks have passed, the tadpole will begin to grow small legs.  The back legs form first, followed by the arms.  The final transformation stage is when the mouth changes from a small hole, to a mouth the width of the whole head.  The entire process is complete after 12 to 16 weeks. 

Frogs are important to ecosystems because they control insect populations and they are also a food source for some fish and water fowl.  Frogs are also good bioindicators meaning that the presence of frogs in a body of water is a good indication that that water is clean and the ecosystem is healthy.