Tadpole Development 101

While camping over Labor Day Weekend my little ones managed to capture 4 tadpoles out of the local pond. "Can we keep them? We'll take care of them, and they won't cost anything!" Before I answered I recalled the froglet and tadpole that came home from school after the first grade science section on tadpoles. These babies lived 2 days -- if they were lucky.

I said, "Sure, we'll try it again." After all we had the fish tank, and the frog/tadpole food.

So nestled into one of our water bottles were the four tadpoles: Biggie, and 3 smaller ones. (Think about it next time we going fishing or hiking together and I offer you some of our water...) From the research for our previous experience I figured we'd have house guests for a few weeks, if they lived, and then they'd be hopping on their way.

I was wrong. September moved into October; and October into November. After weeks of filtering the water through coffee filters and paper towels I suggested we invest in a real aquarium filter, and while were were at it, a heater and more of those tasty juicy blood worms they absolutely loved. And let's not forget some gravel for the bottom of the tank.

So our free pets were now costing us more than I care to admit here. But boy, were they growing. No legs yet; but Biggie went from being about an inch in length to about three inches. And two of the others were not far behind. Last but not least "Tiny" was pushing an inch and it looked like we had a couple of different species.

For months we waited and we watched for signs of development. For months they ate and ate and swam around. Finally in January tiny legs appeared on two of them, but not on Biggie. Biggie just kept growing bigger, and Tiny was starting to bud one fore arm -- no hind legs.

It's February now. I've been to the pet store to restock on food and to buy them a shelf to sit on when they feel like crawling out of the water. We also got a different type of filter so we can lower the water level in the tank.

SHHH! Can you hear the ka-ching of the cash register? It's still ringing in my ears.

Today we noticed that their little sucker like mouths are starting to broaden into "froggy" mouths. And the two tadpoles with legs, their legs are getting longer and stronger. We keep looking for signs of fore arm development but it's tough to tell -- they swim around so much. Biggie might be developing one fore arm, and there maybe finally be some hind legs growing -- but we're just going to have to wait and see. Also the area behind the eyes that develops into the tympanic membrane is starting to look different. So maybe they will start to look more like frogs and less like tadpoles.

So they cost us a fortune, and grossly overstayed their estimated departure date, but we've learned so much from watching them grow.