The Life Cycle of Frog

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The Egg Frogs lay their eggs in water or wet places. A floating clump of eggs is called frog spawn. The large and slippery mass of eggs is too big to be eaten. This is nature's way of protecting them. But, the smaller clumps of eggs will be eaten by the creatures living near or in the pond. The egg begins as a single cell. Several thousand are sometimes laid at once. It becomes surrounded by a jellylike covering, which protects the egg. The female may or may not stay with the eggs to take care of the young after she has laid them. The egg slowly develops. But, only a few develop into adults. Ducks, fish, insects, and other water creatures eat the eggs. The Cell Splits The single cell in the egg eventually splits into two. These two split making four cells, and so on. Eventually, there are many cells in the egg. The Embryo The mass of cells in the egg come to form an embryo. Organs and gills begin to form, and in the meantime, the embryo lives off of its internal yolk. This supplies it with nutrients for 21 days. The Tadpole After its 21 day development period, the embryo leaves its jelly shell, and attaches itself to a weed in the water. This quickly becomes a tadpole, a baby frog. The tadpoles grow until they are big enough to break free into the water. This can take from 3 days to 3 weeks, depending on what kind of frog they will become. They eat very small plants that stick to larger plants in the water. These tiny plants are called algae. The tadpole has a long tail, and lives in the water. It is extremely vulnerable, and must rely on its camouflage to protect it. The tadpole has a long tail, and lives in the water. It is extremely vulnerable, and must rely on its camouflage to protect it. The tadpoles also face danger by being eaten by other water animals. Sometimes the pond dries up. As a result the tadpoles die. The Tadpole Begins To

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