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Eggs hatch in 2 to 4 days, [7] and the tadpole development and metamorphosis is complete within 4 to 8 weeks, depending upon temperature, food quality, and food quantity. Developing rapidly helps Great Basin spadefoots avoid desiccation and consequent death in their arid environment.
This adaptation to thermal changes has many ecological advantages, including increasing physiological processes such as digestion and growth for tadpoles. Because larger tadpoles may not have this locomotor performance advantage in higher temperatures, jumping might be an alternative to escape predation.
Tadpoles retain the lateral line system of their ancestral fishes, but this is lost in terrestrial adult amphibians. Many aquatic salamanders and some caecilians possess electroreceptors called ampullary organs (completely absent in anurans), that allow them to locate objects around them when submerged in water. [ 74 ]
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.
Grey foam-nest tree frogs' egg mortality is considered moderate compared to other anuran species. Following the embryonic development, a tadpole breaks free and drops into the water below the foam nest. Tadpoles live in the benthic zone (associated with or occurring on the bottom of a body of water).
Tadpoles of N. degiustoi constitute the oldest tadpoles found as of 2024, dating back to 168–161 million years ago. These tadpoles also showed adaptations for filter-feeding, implying residence in temporary pools by filter-feeding larvae was already commonplace. [37] The evolution of modern Anura likely was complete by the Jurassic period.
Feeding on land is a completely different task than feeding in water. Water is much more dense and viscous compared to air, causing hunting techniques adapted in water to be less successful when applied on land. [11] The main technique used in water is suction feeding and is used by most aquatic vertebrates.
Tadpoles are green with a yellow or white stripe extending from each nostril to the eye and may have mottled tail fins. [20] American green tree frogs show only the parental investment of mating and egg-laying. [4] Breeding is known to be strongly influenced by day length, temperature, and precipitation.