After hatching from its egg, a frog emerges as a tadpole. Like other amphibians, a frog undergoes dramatic changes throughout its life cycle in a process known as metamorphosis.
All frogs start out as embryos inside squishy, gelatinous eggs. As the embryos mature, the next stage of metamorphosis, called the larval stage, occurs. During this time, the tadpoles live underwater, breathing through gills as tadpoles. Over time, these tadpoles begin to grow legs and lose their tails, slowly adapting to a more terrestrial life as an adult frog. Adults may or may not remain near water, depending on their subspecies.
