American Bullfrog Tadpoles

These are American bullfrog tadpoles.  Tadpoles are baby frogs.  The female bullfrog lays up to 20,000 eggs.  The tadpoles hatch from the eggs in 3-5 days.  Then the tadpoles swim around and slowly turn into frogs.  It can take 2 summers before they are frogs.  They live in ponds and lakes in the United States.  The tadpoles eat algae, organic material, and insect larvae.  They are about 5 inches long.

We took this picture at Milwaukee Public Museum on October 29, 2010.