Tadpole

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tadpole

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Anura (order encompassing frogs and toads)
2. What do tadpoles look like?Tadpoles have a round body and a long tail that helps them swim. They also have gills, which can be inside or outside their bodies, to breathe underwater.
3. How do tadpoles eat and grow?They mostly eat algae, plants, and decaying matter. Their long, coiled gut helps them break down this food and store energy for later changes.

Anura: The taxonomic order of amphibians that includes frogs and toads, characterized by their larval tadpole stage.
Apoptosis: Programmed cell death, a natural process essential for development, such as the resorption of the tadpole tail.
Thyroid Hormones: Hormones (T3 and T4) produced by the thyroid gland that regulate metabolism and are critical for amphibian metamorphosis.