30 MILLION YEARS OF EVOLUTION IN 12 WEEKS

While it took prehistoric fish some 30 million years to emerge from the sea and start the evolutionary process that has made us the rulers of the Earth, frogs usually complete the transition from water to land in about 12 weeks, going through the three stages of egg, larva, and adult. The female first lays clumps of eggs that the male fertilizes. As the eggs mature, each yolk divides repeatedly and begins to take on the form of a tadpole.

The eggs will start hatching about one to three weeks later. Once the tadpoles are old enough to swim on their own, they feed on algae and other vegetation as they develop legs and an appetite for larger plants and insects as they grow. By the time 12 weeks have passed, the tadpole’s tail and gills have entirely disappeared and it has become an adult, now ready to venture onto dry land.