Frog Life Cycle

Frogs go through an amazing transformation during their life cycle. They start as tiny eggs laid in water. The eggs hatch into tadpoles that breathe with gills like fish. Over time, tadpoles grow legs, lose their tails, and become frogs that can live on land.

From Egg to Tadpole

A mother frog lays hundreds of eggs in a pond or stream. The eggs are covered in a jelly-like coating that protects them. After a few days or weeks, tiny tadpoles hatch out. Tadpoles have long tails and breathe through gills. They swim around and eat tiny plants called algae.

Becoming a Frog

As a tadpole grows, big changes happen. First, back legs appear. Then front legs pop out. Lungs develop so the tadpole can breathe air. The tail slowly gets shorter and shorter until it disappears. Now the tadpole has become a frog that can hop onto land.

Fun Facts

• A bullfrog tadpole can take up to three years to become an adult frog.
• Some frogs can lay up to 20,000 eggs at one time.
• The golden poison frog is so toxic that one frog has enough poison to harm ten grown people.

Did You Know?

The wood frog can survive being frozen solid during winter. Its heart stops beating and it stops breathing, but it thaws out and hops away in spring!