Tadpoles have been wriggling in the world’s ponds for at least 161 million years. A newly detailed fossil finding pushes the record for earliest known tadpoles back an additional 30 million years, ...

An exquisitely preserved fossilised tadpole is the oldest ever discovered by science, dating back 161 million years, with an anatomy that is strikingly similar to some of today’s species.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Paleontologists don’t always get what they are digging for. In ...

A 161 million-year-old fossil, linked to a line of extinct frog-like amphibians, is the oldest tadpole ever found. By Asher Elbein The metamorphosis of a frog from baby to adult is one of nature’s ...

Some tadpoles don’t poop for the first weeks of their lives. At least, that’s the case for Eiffinger’s tree frogs (Kurixalus eiffingeri), scientists report September 22 in Ecology. Eiffinger’s tree ...

While some other creatures, most notably salamanders and starfish, can regenerate entire limbs, mammals don’t have this ...

Rachael has a degree in Zoology from the University of Southampton, and specializes in animal behavior, evolution, palaeontology, and the environment. Rachael has a degree in Zoology from the ...

A photograph of a giant, green-and-yellow tadpole longer than a human hand turned up in an X post on Feb. 12, 2025. At the time of this reporting, the post had received more than 296,000 views. At the ...