Life Cycle Of Frogs Lesson and Printable
As I’m writing this, I can hear frogs singing in a small pool of water created each year by spring rains. The warm weather has awaken the frogs from their dormancy and they are out looking for food and mates. These pools of water are perfect for frogs, or toads, to lay their eggs. The water is still so the eggs won’t be disturbed and there are no fish to eat the eggs.
Related post: Spring Toads (with a video of toads singing in a small pond)
The laying of the eggs is the beginning of the life cycle of the frog. A life cycle is all the changes an organism goes through during it’s lifetime. All organisms have a life cycle and go through changes. Humans start as babies then continue to grow into children then adolescents then adults. Other mammals go through a similar life cycle.
What makes the frog’s life cycle extraordinary is that while the babies of most organisms are just smaller versions of adults, frog babies don’t look like frogs at all. Instead of simply growing larger, frogs go through a process called metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is a huge developmental change in the form or structure of an animal. Let’s walk through the stages of a frog’s life cycle and you will see what I mean.
Life Cycle Of Frogs
Stage 1 – Egg
Female frogs will lay hundreds of eggs at a time in a large mass usually in still, stagnate water. She does this to protect the eggs from being washed away and to protect them from predators. Males will then fertilize the eggs in the water.
Stage 2- Tadpole
Depending upon the species of frog, the egg stage will last 6-21 days until they hatch into tadpoles. Tadpoles look more like fish than frogs with their long tails, gills, and lack of legs. Tadpoles live in the water breathing through their gills and eating algae.
Over the next few weeks of life, the tadpole starts to undergo metamorphosis. Skin starts to grow over the gills as lungs start to develop. Hind legs, also, develop and the head starts to become distinct.
Stage 3 – Young Frog or Froglet
By about 9 weeks, the frog grows front legs. It now looks more like a frog than a tadpole. The froglet still has a tail that is full of nutrients. As the froglet matures, it uses up those nutrients and the tail gets shorter and shorter. The shorter tail and 4 legs means it can now hop on land.
Stage 4 – Adult Frog
At about 12-16 weeks (depending upon the species and this is just an average), the tail disappears and the frog is now an adult and can start the life cycle over again.
Life Cycle Of A Frog Printable
Use this life cycle of a frog printable pack to reinforce the above lesson. There are tracing pages, notebooking pages, and cutting and pasting activities. Just enter your email address below and I will send it to your inbox!
Want to learn more about frogs and do a fun frog activity?? Don’t miss the end of the post!!
More Frog Info And Activities
What Makes The Frog’s Tongue So Cool? {plus a frog tongue craft!}
