A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

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Tadpoles



*Anaxyrus boreas halophilus*

Comparison of Treefrog Tadpole (Pseudacris regilla group) (Top) with Western Toad Tadpole (Anaxyrus boreas) (Bottom) (Click on picture for a better view)	Immature California Treefrog tadpole (Pseudacris cadaverina) (Top) Mature California Toad tadpole (Bottom) Ventura County © Brian Hubbs

*Anaxyrus boreas boreas*

Tadpoles, Deschutes County, Oregon Eyes are inset from the edge of the head.		Tadpole, Deschutes County, Oregon	Tadpole, Deschutes County, Oregon

*Ascaphus truei*

Tadpole feeding on a rock in a still pool in a small creek, in daylight, Multnomah County, Oregon		Most tadpoles have mouths at the front of the head, but the mouth of a Coastal Tailed Frog tadpole is underneath the head, which is flattened. The mouth position and head shape, along with specialized folds that create suction, help a tadpole cling to a rock surface while keeping its body close to the rock. This allows a tailed frog tadpole to scrape food off the surface of underwater rocks in fast-moving creeks without letting the swift current wash it downstream.

Tadpole feeding at night (underwater) Del Norte County, showing the white spot on the tail tip.	Underside of the head of a tadpole, Del Norte County, showing the large flat mouth underneath the head.	Tadpole, Del Norte County © Alan Barron	Tailed frog tadpoles (bottom) are often found near the larvae of Coastal Giant Salamanders (top).

Tadpole underwater, Humboldt County © Spencer Riffle	Tadpole underwater, Humboldt County © Spencer Riffle	Tadpole underwater, Humboldt County © Spencer Riffle	Tadpole tail, Humboldt County © Spencer Riffle

Tadpole tail, Humboldt County © Spencer Riffle	Underside of tadpole, Humboldt County © Spencer Riffle	Underside of tadpole, Humboldt County © Spencer Riffle

Mature four-legged recently-metamorphosed tailed frog which has not yet absorbed its tail, Del Norte County © Alan Barron

*Anaxyrus woodhousii*

Tadpole, Clark County, Nevada © Zachary Cava

*Lithobates catesbeianus*

Mature tadpole in water, San Bernardino County	Mature tadpole, San Bernardino County	Mature tadpole, Yolo County	Tadpole out of water, Del Norte County © Alan Barron

Mature tadpole, Orange County © Jeff Ahrens	Tadpole, San Luis Obispo County © Matt Willis	Group of tadpoles, San Bernardino County

Mature tadpole, San Luis Obispo County © Matt Willis	Mature tadpole, San Luis Obispo County © Matt Willis	Mature 4-legged tadpole, still living in water, but put on land for this photo.

Mature tadpole, Merced County

This is the same tadpole shown in the row above 3 weeks later, one day before it left the water and transformed into a frog (shown in the series below.)

*Lithobates pipiens*

Tadpole, Grant Co., Washington © 2000 William Leonard

Lithobates spenocephalus

Transforming tadpole, Baker County, Florida © Dick Bartlett

*Lithobates yavapaiensis*

Tadpoles at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson

Tadpole, Santa Cruz County, Arizona	Mature tadpole, Santa Cruz County, Arizona	Tadpole, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

*Pseudacris cadaverina*

Tadpole, San Diego County	Tadpole, San Diego County	Tadpole, San Diego County

Tadpole, Ventura County © Brian Hubbs

Tadpoles, Orange County © Jeff Ahrens

*Pseudacris hypochondriaca*

Mature tadpole with rear legs	Tadpoles, Riverside County © Jeff Ahrens		Tadpole, Kern County

The following pictures show an egg mass and some of the tadpoles that hatched from it over a period of about a month

Eggs, day 1		Eggs five days later showing developing tadpoles, day 6

Tadpoles 3 days later on day of hatching, day 9		Tadpoles 9 days later, day 18

Tadpoles, 3 days later, day 21			Tadpole, 1 day later, day 22

Tadpoles, 6 days later, day 28

Comparisons With Tadpoles of Sympatric Species

CA Red-legged Frog tadpole (Top) Treefrog tadpole (Pseudacris) (Bottom)	CA Red-legged Frog tadpole (Right) Treefrog tadpole (Pseudacris) (Left)	Foothill Yellow-legged Frog tadpole (Top) Treefrog Tadpole (Pseudacris) (Bottom)	Comparison of Treefrog Tadpole (Pseudacris regilla group) (Top) with Toad Tadpole (Anaxyrus boreas) (Bottom)
The eyes of Treefrog tadpoles (Pseudacris) extend to the margins of the head when seen from above, while the eyes of tapoles of the sympatric California Red-legged Frog are inset from the margins of the head, as you can see in the above photos from Alameda County. © Joseph E. DiDonato.		Seen from above, the eyes of the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog are located away from the side of the head and the eyes of a treefrog tadpole, Pseudacris regilla, are located at the edge of the head.

*Pseudacris regilla*

Young tadpole	Young tadpole	Young tadpole	Young tadpole

Mature tadpole, front legs about to emerge, eye stripe visible		Mature tadpole, with rear legs developing	Mature tadpole with four legs, and body pattern developing

Tadpole 2 days before leaving water

Comparisons With Larvae and Tadpoles of Sympatric Species

Viewed from above, the eyes of a Pacific Treefrog tadpole (Pseudacris regilla) extend to the outline of the head, as you can see in the picture on the left. The eyes of the tadpoles of sympatric Rana aurora - Northern Red-legged Frog are inset from the margins of the head, as you can see in the picture on the right.		Comparison of young sympatric aquatic amphibian larvae: Treefrog Tadpole (Pseudacris) (Bottom) Long-toed Salamander larvae (Ambystoma macrodactylum) (Top)

Foothill Yellow-legged Frog tadpole (Top) Treefrog Tadpole (Pseudacris) (Bottom) Seen from above, the eyes of the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog are located away from the side of the head and the eyes of a treefrog tadpole, Pseudacris regilla, are located at the edge of the head.	Cascade Frog tadpole (Left) Eyes are on top of the head. Treefrog tadpole (Pseudacris) (Right) Eyes are on the sides of the head.	Comparison of Treefrog Tadpole (Pseudacris regilla group) (Top) with Toad Tadpole (Anaxyrus boreas) (Bottom)

Pseuacris sierra

Tadpole, Contra Costa County	Tadpole, Contra Costa County	Recently hatched tadpoles at shallow edge of small pond, Contra Costa County

Tadpole in water, Contra Costa County

Comparisons With Larvae and Tadpoles of Sympatric Species

California Red-legged Frog tadpole (Top) Treefrog tadpole (Pseudacris) (Bottom)	California Red-legged Frog tadpole (Right) Treefrog tadpole (Pseudacris) (Left)	Foothill Yellow-legged Frog tadpole (Top) Treefrog Tadpole (Pseudacris) (Bottom)	Comparison of Treefrog Tadpole (Pseudacris regilla group) (Top) with Toad Tadpole (Anaxyrus boreas) (Bottom) (Click on picture for a better view)
The eyes of Treefrog tadpoles (Pseudacris) extend to the margins of the head when seen from above, while the eyes of tapoles of the sympatric California Red-legged Frog are inset from the margins of the head, as you can see in the above photos from Alameda County. © Joseph E. DiDonato.		Seen from above, the eyes of the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog are located away from the side of the head and the eyes of a treefrog tadpole, Pseudacris regilla, are located at the edge of the head.

Comparison of young sympatric aquatic amphibian larvae: Treefrog Tadpole (Pseudacris) (Bottom) Long-toed Salamander larvae (Ambystoma macrodactylum) (Top)		Cascade Frog tadpole - (Left) Eyes are on top of the head. Treefrog tadpole (Pseudacris) (Right) Eyes are on the sides of the head.

Rana aurora

Close-up of Eggs and embryos, in late stage of development	Tadpole eyes are set in from the margin of the head. Compare with P. regilla	Young Tadpole
The following series of pictures show the development of a tadpole over the course of several months.

1. Recently-hatched tadpole	2. Rear legs developing (6 weeks later)	3. Rear legs increasing in size (10 weeks after hatching)	4. Rear legs increasing in size (8 days later)

5. Front legs developing (2 days later)		5. Front legs developing	6. Tail decreasing in size (5 days later - about 3 months after hatching.)

Rana boylii

New hatchlings such as these and those to the right lie still on the bottom of the stream for a short time, Linn County, Oregon	Recently-hatched tadpoles in water (from egg cluster below left) Linn County, Oregon		Tadpole in water, Santa Clara County

Tadpole in water, Santa Clara County	Tadpole in water, Santa Clara County	Tadpole with rear legs, in water, Santa Clara County

Tadpoles in water, Douglas County, Oregon			Tadpole in water, Douglas County, Oregon

Tadpole in water, Santa Clara County	Tadpole in water, Monterey County © David Hacker	Tadpole with 4 legs, in water, Santa Clara County	Tadpole underside and mouth in water attached to a glass surface.

Comparisons of a California Red-legged Frog tadpole and a Foothill Yellow-legged Frog tadpole, both from Santa Clara County. © Owen Holt

Rana boylii - Top Pseudacris regilla - Bottom Seen from above, the eyes of Rana boylii are located away from the side of the head and the eyes of Pseudacris regilla are located at the edge of the head.

*Rana cascadae*

Larvae still in eggs, about to hatch	Newly-hatched Tadpoles at egg mass	Newly-hatched Tadpoles remaining at egg mass	Brand new hatchling

	Tadpoles,6,400 ft., Siskiyou County

Tadpole, King County, Washington	Mature tadpoles, Pierce County, Washington	Tadpole, King County, Washington	Tadpole, King County, Washington

Tadpole, King County, Washington	Mature tadpole with rear legs developing	Mature tadpole with large rear legs	Mature tadpole with 4 legs

Two leucistic tadpoles, Klamath Mountains, Siskiyou County © Ryan Aberg	Top/Right: Normally-pigmented tapole Bottom/Left: Leucistic tadpole Klamath Mountains, Siskiyou County © Ryan Aberg	Rana cascadae - Left Eyes are on top of the head. Pseudacris regilla - Right Eyes are on the sides of the head.


Rana draytonii

Tadpole, Monterey County, on top, with CA Tiger Salamander larva on bottom.	Tadpole, Monterey County © 2004 William Leonard	Mature tadpole in water at edge of pond, Contra Costa County.	Mature tadpole in a pond, Contra Costa County.

California Red-legged frog tadpole	Top - CA Red-legged frog tadpole. Bottom - Sierran Treefrog tadpole	Right - CA Red-legged frog tadpole. Left - Sierran Treefrog tadpole	Recently deceased mature tadpole in a pond, Contra Costa County.
The eyes of the tadpoles of Rana draytonii are inset from the margins of the head when seen from above, while the eyes of the tadpoles of the sympatric Sierran Treefrog - Pseudacris sierra and the Baja California Treefrog - Pseudacris hypochondriaca extend to the margins of the head, as you can see in the above photos from Alameda Counthy. © Joseph E. DiDonato.

California Red-legged Frog tadpole, Santa Clara County © Rob Schell			Mature California Red-legged Frog tadpoles and recently transformed juvenile frog, Santa Barbara County © Vince Semonsen

Comparisons of a California Red-legged Frog tadpole and a Foothill Yellow-legged Frog tadpole, both from Santa Clara County. © Owen Holt

Tadpole, Santa Cruz County © Neil Keung Animal capture and handling authorized under Federal permits and State Parks permits.	Four-legged tadpole almost ready to leave the water, Contra Costa County, mid July. © Mark Gary

Rana luteiventris

Tadpole, Spokane County, Washington

Rana muscosa

Adult and tadpole, San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County © Chris DeGroof	Immature tadpole, San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County © Chris DeGroof		Transforming tadpole underwater, San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles County

Rana pretiosa

Tadpoles, Thurston Co., WA © 1997 William Leonard	Mature tadpoles, Lane County, Oregon © Mark Gary

Rana sierra

Group of mature tadpoles in shallow water	Mature tadpole (2 or 3 years old)	Mature tadpole

Mature tadpole	Mature tadpole (right) and younger tadpole (left)	Young tadpole (probably 1 year old)

Mature tadpole	Mature tadpole	Tadpoles, 2-3 years old, Fresno County © Vance Vreedenburg

Mature tadpole with legs, tail, and intermediate jaw shape, Tuolumne County © Max Roberts	Hundreds of tadpoles in an alpine lake in Fresno County © Max Roberts

Scaphiopus couchii

	Recently-hatched tadpole, Yuma County, Arizona	Recently-hatched tadpole, Yuma County, Arizona

Spea hammondii

Tadpoles feeding in a turbid rain pool, Alameda County			Tadpole, Riverside County

Tadpole, Riverside County	Tadpole, Riverside County	Tadpole, Riverside County	Tadpole, Riverside County

Mature tadpole, Orange County © Jeff Ahrens Animal capture and handling authorized under SPC or specific authorization from CDFW.	Tadpole, Riverside County	Tadpole, Riverside County	Metamorphosing tadpole, Monterey County (captured and handled under state Scientific Collecting Permit and released at point of capture.) © Adam Clause

Tadpole, Kings County © Patrick Briggs		Mature tadpole, Monterey County © Rob Schell

Young tadpole underwater, Kern County	Young tadpole underwater, Kern County	Young tadpole, Kern County	Young tadpole underwater, Kern County

Spea intermontana

Two mature eggs attached to a small branch which was found submerged in shallow water.		Hatchling tadpole

Hatchling tadpole	Tadpole several days after hatching.	Older tadpole

Mature tadpole with back legs developing	Mature tadpole

Mature tadpole		Mature tadpole with developed back legs

Transforming tadpole with tail decreasing in length and front legs developed (and visible) but not yet emerged. The front legs emerged one day later and the spadefoot moved to land (first picture of the following series).

*Xenopus laevis*

Tadpole out of water, San Diego County	Tadpole underwater, San Diego County		The African Clawed Frog tadpole is a filter feeder. It swims with the head down, vibrating its tail rapidly to stir up tiny bits of food particles which are sucked into the mouth and filtered out of the water which is expelled.

Tadpole in aquarium, San Diego County			Tadpole with mouth open

Tadpoles in shallow water, Orange County. © Jonathan Hakim			Tadpoles, San Diego County © Jay Keller

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