(Litoria littlejohni)]]A tadpole (also known as a pollywog, poliwag or polliwog) is the wholly aquatic juvenile amphibian, a stage (larval) in the life cycle of a frog or toad. Description During the tadpole stage of the amphibian life cycle, most breathe by means of autonomous external or internal gills. They do not usually have arms or legs until the transition to adulthood, and typically have dorsal or fin-like appendages and a tail with which they swim by lateral undulation, similar to most fish. As tadpoles mature, they most commonly metamorphosize by gradually growing limbs and then (most commonly in the case of frogs) outwardly absorbing its tail by apoptosis. Lungs develop around the time of leg development and tadpoles late in development will often be found near the surface of the water where they breath air. During the final stages of external metamorphosis, the tadpole's mo

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