Tadpoles

It all begins with the Greek term gýrinos (γυρίνος). At that time, the word was already used to describe these small aquatic creatures. The root comes from gyrós, which means curved, rounded, or circular. Then, as happened with much of the scientific and biological vocabulary, the term migrated into Latin as gyrinus. The logic behind the name is purely descriptive: The Greeks and Romans observed that the creature was basically a “rounded head” with a tail. The way they swim in circles or undulating movements reinforced this idea of ​​”curvature.” Portuguese inherited the term directly from Latin. Interestingly, in other languages, the visual logic is different: the English Tadpole comes from tadde (frog) + poll (head), literally “frog-head.”

We already know that tadpoles are the larvae of frogs, tree frogs, and toads, and they develop from eggs that these amphibians produce from the first heavy autumn rains until spring. Each species has its preferences; while the black-clawed toad gathers for mating and reproduction in the autumn, green frogs prefer the warm waters of spring.

In a biological pool, we can find all species, and even some large specimens of the two species mentioned prefer a long stay in the water, while most of them develop into small frogs or toads that leave the water for new locations to colonize, be they puddles, ponds, lakes, or biological pools.