[image] [image] A tadpole (also known as a pollywog) is a larval Frog, Toad, Salamander, or newt. In this stage it breathes by means of external or internal gills, is at first lacking legs, and has a finlike Tail. As a tadpole matures, it metamorphoses by gradually growing limbs and then (in the case of frogs and toads) absorbing its tail. Most tadpoles are herbivorous, subsisting on algae. In a few species, some tadpoles turn cannibalistic under harsh conditions and feed on other tadpoles living in the pond.