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A tadpole or polliwog (also spelled pollywog) is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found in adult amphibians, such as a lateral line, gills and swimming tails.
Some species are carnivorous at the tadpole stage, eating insects, smaller tadpoles and fish. Young of the Cuban tree frog ( Osteopilus septentrionalis ) can occasionally be cannibalistic , the younger tadpoles attacking a larger, more developed tadpole when it is undergoing metamorphosis.
The evolution of tetrapods began about 400 million years ago in the Devonian Period with the earliest tetrapods evolved from lobe-finned fishes. [1] Tetrapods (under the apomorphy-based definition used on this page) are categorized as animals in the biological superclass Tetrapoda, which includes all living and extinct amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
This makes the species even more unique, as PLOS One said, because other frogs that skip the egg step typically give birth to froglets, or baby frogs, but these frogs still give birth to tadpoles.
Triops longicaudatus (commonly called American tadpole shrimp or longtail tadpole shrimp) is a freshwater crustacean of the order Notostraca, resembling a miniature horseshoe crab. It is characterized by an elongated, segmented body, a flattened shield-like brownish carapace covering two thirds of the thorax, and two long filaments on the abdomen.
There are several theories behind why these organisms have evolved this biphasic life history: [2] Larvae use different food sources than adults, which decreases competition between life stages. Pelagic larvae can disperse large distances, colonize new territory, and move away from habitats that has become overcrowded or otherwise unsuitable.
Frogs have a two-stage life cycle, with the aquatic tadpole larva metamorphosing into the adult form. This tadpole was in the late stages of metamorphosis. Adults of this species are a similar ...
“A near threatened species due to habitat destruction and predators, these tadpoles start their transition into toads between four and twelve weeks after hatching, but an estimated 99% of them ...