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Fertilization
When a male frog fertilizes an egg it is called Amplexus. Amplexus can last several days! Amplexus usually occurs in the water, but some frogs like to mate on land or in trees. -
Spawn (Egg Mass)
While in the amplexus position, the male frog fertilizes the eggs as they are laid. Frogs tend to lay single eggs in masses, where toads usually lay eggs in long chains.
Some frogs leave after this point, but others stick around to watch over the little ones. -
Eggs Mass (continued)
When the rain comes along, after developement of 7 to 9 days, the foam drips down, dropping tiny tadpoles into the river or pond below. -
Egg
Frogs tend to lay many eggs. Life starts right as the central yolk splits in two. It then divides into four, then eight, etc.- until it looks a bit like a rasberry inside a jello cup. Soon, the embryo starts to look more and more like a tadpole, getting longer and moving about in it's egg.Usually, about 6-21 days (average!) after being fertilized, the egg will hatch. Their egg masses form large cocoon-like foamy masses. The foam sometimes cakes dry in the sun, protecting the inside moisture. -
Hatching of the Egg
After the hatching of the eggs, tadpoles are formed. Shortly after hatching, the tadpole still feeds on the remaining yolk, which is actually in its gut. The tadpole at this point consists of poorly developed gills, a mouth, and a tail. It's really fragile at this point. They usually will stick themselves to floating weeds or grasses in the water using little sticky organs between its' mouth and belly area. -
Tadpoles
Then, 7 to 10 days after the tadpole has hatched, it will begin to swim around and feed on algae.
After about 4 weeks, the gills start getting grown over by skin, until they eventually disappear. The tadpoles get teeny tiny teeth which help them grate food turning it into soupy oxygenated particles.By the fourth week, tadpoles can actually be fairly social creatures. Some even interact and school like fish! -
Tadpoles with legs
After about 6 to 9 weeks, little tiny legs start to sprout. The head becomes more distinct and the body elongates. By now the diet may grow to include larger items like dead insects and even plants.
The arms will begin to bulge where they will eventually pop out, elbow first.
After about 9 weeks, the tadpole looks more like a teeny frog with a really long tail. It is now well on it's way to being almost fullgrown! -
Young Frog or Froglet
By 12 weeks, the tadpole has only a teeny tail stub and looks like a miniature version of the adult frog. Soon, it will leave the water, only to return again to laymore eggs and start the process all over again! -
Frog!
By between 12 to 16 weeks, depending on water and food supply, the frog has completed the full growth cycle. Some frogs that live in higher altitudes or in colder places might take a whole winter to go through the tadpole stage...others may have unique development stages that vary from your "traditional" tadpole-in-the-water type life cycle. -
Repeat the Process!
Now these frogs will start the whole process again...finding mates and creating new froggies.
