During the final stages of metamorphosis, the tadpole's mouth changes from a small, enclosed mouth at the front of the head to a large mouth the same width as the head. Lungs develop around the time as the legs start growing, and tadpoles at this stage will often swim to the surface and gulp air. The tail is absorbed into the body using apoptosis. Īnatomy of a wood frog tadpole ( Lithobates sylvaticus)Īs a frog tadpole matures it gradually develops its limbs, with the back legs growing first and the front legs second. Megophrys tadpoles feed at the water surface using unusual funnel-shaped mouths. A few genera such as Pipidae and Microhylidae have species whose tadpoles are filter feeders that swim through the water column feeding on plankton.
Another example is the tadpoles of the New Mexico spadefoot toad ( Spea multiplicata) which will develop a carnivorous diet along with a broader head, larger jaw muscles, and a shorter gut if food is scarce, allowing them to consume fairy shrimp and their smaller herbivorous siblings. Though many tadpoles will feed on dead animals if available to them, only a few species of frog have strictly carnivorous tadpoles, an example being the frogs of the family Ceratophryidae, their cannibalistic tadpoles having wide gaping mouths with which they devour other organisms, including other tadpoles. The gut of most tadpoles is long and spiral-shaped to efficiently digest organic matter and can be seen through the bellies of many species. Anuran tadpoles are usually herbivorous, feeding on soft decaying plant matter.
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