Page 144 - It Can't Be True! Animals! - Unbelievable Facts About Amazing Animals (DK)
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      What animal






      grows smaller?







      In most life cycles, creatures grow bigger until


      they reach full size. The paradoxical frog is

      an exception to this rule, as the giant tadpole

      shrinks to become a much smaller frog.










                                   A very long tail, making up
                                   three-quarters of this unusual
                                   tadpole’s body, grows longer
                                   and longer over four months.













          Tadpoles are greenish
           when newly hatched,
        turning a darker, mottled
          green that helps them
           to hide as they grow.




         FIRST FOR FROGLETS


                                        There is no tadpole stage for
                                        the Oreophryne frog from Papua
                                        New Guinea. Instead, the father
                                        frog protects the eggs against
                                        predators until they hatch into                                                             Fully grown tadpole 25 cm (10 in)
                                        full-size froglets.









   144-145_310219_ParadoxFrog.indd   144                                                                         14/10/2019   12:40
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