American Bullfrog Froglet Reabsorbing Tail
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American Bullfrog Metamorphosis - P2
The information on this page falls into four categories:

  • ​Bullfrog tadpole before metamorphosis
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OBSERVING METAMORPHOSIS

It can take up to two years for bullfrog tadpoles to change into frogs, but once front legs appear, change happens very quickly. It takes less than 10 days for a bullfrog tadpole to change into a frog once it sprouts front legs !

LUMPY's Metamorphosis
Bullfrog Tadpole With New Rear Legs
Rear legs first appeared 6/22/13
Bullfrog Tadpole with Small Rear Legs
Five days later rear legs much larger and bent at the knee 6/27/13
American Bullfrog Tadpole with Well-developed Rear Legs
American Bullfrog Tadpole with Arms, Legs and Tail. Head Starting to Change Shape
Rear legs well-developed 7/14/13
Well-developed arms. Head starting to change shape 7/16/13
American Bullfrog Tadpole with Rear Legs and Arms. Head Starting to Change Shape.
See how shape of head has changed, with eyes raised 7/17/13

Time Table for 
LUMPY's Metamorphosis

  • ~ 10 months old before began metamorphosis.
  • Began metamorphosis 6-22-13: Rear legs appeared.
  • 22 days: Rear legs continued to grow.
  • 24 days: Front legs appear. Heed begins to change shape.
  • 26 days: Tadpole's head is changing shape, eyes raised, mouth enlarging.
  • 29 days: Tail reabsorbing
  • 31 days: Metamorphosis complete. Lumpy is a frog with only a tiny stub of tail remaining.

TINY TAD's Metamorphosis
American Bullfrog Tadpole
FREE FROGGIE ACTIVITIES!

Printable Tadpole 
Coloring Page     
Frog Life Cycle Wrod Search
Bullfrog Tadpole Coloring Page
Tiny tad finally sprouted legs  8-9-13, then  metamorphosis stalled. This tadpole stayed the same... tadpole body with tiny rear legs...until he mysteriously disappeared in March 2014. Perhaps Lumpy ate him?
More Bullfrog Resources

American Bullfrog Tadpole with Legs and Tail. Mouth Starting to Change Shape.
See how mouth is widening 7/18/13
American Bullfrog Tadpole with Tail Nearly Gone
Tail much shorter
7/21/13
Bullfrog Near End of Metamorphosis. Note Tail Stub Still Reabsorbing.
Tail nearly gone. Lumpy looks like frog
7/22/13
Small Bullfrog Shortly After Completing Metamorphosis
Tail gone. Lumpy is a frog! 7/23/13
R.I.P
Home School Science! 
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Kid's Watching Moon Jellies

Small American Bullfrog
Lumpy died 2-3-15 of unknown causes :(. 
RIP lump!
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Froglet reabsorbing tail.
VIDEO: 
Bullfrog tadpoles 
~ 4 months old with footage of swimming and feeding behavior. Narration by young children with kids' music.
This page is devoted to bullfrog tadpole metamorphosis with photos of our bullfrogs at different stages of their development, featuring the three bullfrog tadpoles that we followed through metamorphosis.

KID SCIENCE 
from the free STEM 
education site 
Science Prof Online
American Bullfrog Image Library
SCIENCE PHOTOS