Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Embryos (and one tadpole) of the wrinkled frog (Rana rugosa). A tadpole is a larval frog or toad. In this stage it breathes by means of external or internal gills, is at first lacking legs, and has a finlike tail. As a tadpole matures, it metamorphoses by gradually growing limbs and then absorbing its tail. Most tadpoles are herbivorous, subsisting on algae. In a few species, some tadpoles turn cannibalistic under harsh conditions and feed on other tadpoles living in the pond. Tadpole is a 2002 film directed by Gary Winick about a boy who falls in love with an older woman. See: Tadpole (movie). This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.