Members of the Tamaqua Cub and Boy Scouts had the chance to learn the life cycle of a tadpole (also called pollywog or porwigle) recently with their Troop Leaders at the Rabbit Run Reservoir in Lewistown Valley, Tamaqua.

Scouts participated in the activity to earn their World Conservation and Leave No Trace patch. A tadpole, primarily wholly aquatic, is the larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, mainly that of a frog or toad. During the tadpole stage of the amphibian life cycle, most respire by means of autonomous external or internal gills.They usually don't have arms or legs until the transition to adulthood, and typically have dorsal or fin-like appendages and a tail with which they use to swim. As a tadpole matures, it most commonly metamorphosizes by slowly growing limbs (usually the legs first, followed by the arms) and then (most commonly in the case of frogs) outwardly. Lungs develop around the time of leg development, and tadpoles late in development will often be found near the surface of the water, where they breathe air.Most tadpoles are herbivorous, subsisting on algae and plants. For more information about the scouts or to join, call Scott Winterburn at (570) 527-2006.