Trials of a Tadpole | National Geographic

here in this South American rainforest
you’re watching what should be a joyous
event the laying of hundreds of eggs by
a mother frog in truth only a very few
of these eggs will blossom into full
frog no drought will take a toll and
predators will menace these babies at
every step of their development some
clever moms lay their eggs and trees
foiling the predators below take a look
at some super close-up micro camera
footage of a frog taking the journey
from egg to tadpole here captured on
film is the miracle of life when the
tadpoles outgrow the birth chamber they
have to find another source of water
fast of course mom took care of
everything she laid her eggs above a
jungle pool suddenly they’re no longer
big tadpoles in a self-contained micro
pond
now they’re tiny tadpoles in a huge body
of water where their bodies and legs
develop quickly
predators lurk everywhere like this
water but for instance
it’s a simple deadly transaction it
shoots its venom in then sucks the life
out the survivor is like this one will
soon lose their tadpole tails and be
able to scramble up on land but they’ll
continue to live in the water where they
first high dive into the world and began
their astonishing adventure