Editing Tadpole (section)

{{Short description|Larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Redirect|Polliwog|other uses|Polliwog (disambiguation)}}
[[File:RanaTemporariaLarva2.jpg|thumb|286x286px|[[Common frog]] (''Rana temporaria'') tadpole]]

A '''tadpole''' or '''polliwog''' (also spelled '''pollywog''') is the [[Larva|larval stage]] in the [[biological life cycle]] of an [[amphibian]]. Most tadpoles are fully [[Aquatic animal|aquatic]], though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are [[terrestrial animal|terrestrial]]. Tadpoles have some [[fish]]-like features that may not be found in adult amphibians, such as a [[lateral line]], [[gill]]s and swimming [[tail]]s. As they undergo [[metamorphosis]], they start to develop functional [[lung]]s for breathing air, and the diet of tadpoles changes drastically.

A few amphibians, such as some members of the [[frog]] family [[Brevicipitidae]], undergo [[direct development]]{{snd}} i.e., they do not undergo a free-living larval stage as tadpoles{{snd}} instead emerging from eggs as fully formed "froglet" miniatures of the adult [[morphology (biology)|morphology]]. Some other species hatch into tadpoles underneath the skin of the female adult or are kept in a pouch until after metamorphosis. Having no hard skeletons, it might be expected that tadpole [[fossil]]s would not exist. However, traces of [[biofilm]]s have been preserved and fossil tadpoles have been found dating back to the [[Middle Jurassic]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite journal |last=Chuliver |first=Mariana |last2=Agnolín |first2=Federico L. |last3=Scanferla |first3=Agustín |last4=Aranciaga Rolando |first4=Mauro |last5=Ezcurra |first5=Martín D. |last6=Novas |first6=Fernando E. |last7=Xu |first7=Xing |date=2024-10-30 |title=The oldest tadpole reveals evolutionary stability of the anuran life cycle |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08055-y |journal=Nature |language=en |pages=1–5 |doi=10.1038/s41586-024-08055-y |issn=1476-4687|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Tadpoles are eaten as [[human food]] in some parts of the world and are mentioned in various [[Folklore|folk tale]]s from around the world.