Tadpoles are quite fascinating little creatures. They develop individual personalities and go through fairly extreme changes as they alter shape and size. The way they snuggle is one of those changes.

When tadpoles are little, they very much have a group mentality. They want to stay together. They're almost like a school of fish. I've seen them stack on top of each other five-deep in the corner of the tank. Little ones will stack onto larger ones like a remora fish attaches to a shark. They are content nuzzling each other and don't even flinch as a newcomer settles down right on top of his head.

The three tadpoles side by side in this photo are typical of what happens - and they're not even touching. In many cases they are lumped on top of each other in a pile or mushed right up against each other.

However, once the tadpoles gain legs and their mouths grow wider, it's a completely different story. As you can see in this video below, only a week after the above photo was taken, the tadpoles are now in their feisty teenager years. They often want to be left alone. If one tadpole swims over, the other one leaves. It's a 180-degree swing from the way they were behaving just a week ago. Still, when it gets dark, they can still become snuggly and sleep in little piles.



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Tadpole Care and Feeding This step by step manual helps ensure that your little tadpoles grow up to be happy, healthy frogs. From choosing the tank to designing the menu, from checking the pH to adjusting the temperature, I'll ensure your cute, tiny balls of energy grow up into a joyful friend.

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