Tadpoles have been found to resort to cannibalism. Though usually as a last resort, the pre-frogs will find anything to eat before choosing to consume one of their own kind.
According to Live Science, a study at the University of Saskatchewan, located in Canada, tadpoles will feed off of other tadpoles when there is no other resource for food. Aside from tadpoles, other types of amphibians, including salamanders, also feed on their own species when there is no other food available.
In the scientist’s eyes, this cannibalism makes complete sense. Their justification: eating one’s own species has the exact vitamins and nutrients the organism needs to prosper.
There are some downsides, however. Some pathogens that might be dangerous to the organism can be consumed when resorting to cannibalism. This will then cause illness within the species. Besides that, if feeding on one of the same species, there is room for retaliation if the organism is alive.
BBC also reported that tadpoles are eating eggs of their own species. This widespread epidemic is said to be caused by climate changes. Ponds are drying up, leaving tadpoles with little food resources. This, in turn, leads them to cannibalism.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
