THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE FROG
In early Spring adult frogs wake up from their long Winter sleep and start making their way to breeding pools. Some frogs can travel as far as one mile to the pond which is a long distance if all you can do is hop or crawl. When the frogs reach the pond, breeding begins with the male croaking loudly to attract the female.
When he finds a female he grabs her from
behind with the help of special pads on his fore limbs and holds on as tight
as he can. As soon as the female releases her eggs into the water they are
fertilised by the male.
JELLY BABIES
The eggs or frogspawn are surrounded by
jelly, which absorbs water, swells up, and floats to the surface of the
pond where the sun warms it. One clump of frogspawn can contain up to 4,000
eggs.
TADPOLE TERRORS
After about 10 days a tadpole wriggles
out of each egg. At first the tadpole breathes and moves like a fish, using
its gills and long tail, but after about five weeks the gills disappear
and the tadpole develops lungs. It then has to swim to the surface of the
water to gulp air. The tadpole has fleshy lips with rows of teeth for rasping
away at water plants and by seven weeks it also eats insects and even other
tadpoles. 
FROGLET
By eight weeks the back legs have formed
and by ten to eleven weeks the front legs have also appeared. At twelve
to fourteen weeks the tail disappears and the tiny froglet is ready to leave
the water. it will take three years before the froglet reaches maturity
and the cycle starts all over again.
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