Food Sources
Food supplies such as algae that the tadpoles eat also affects the sexual maturity of the species. It has been reported that the “amount of protein in different algae, can affect size at and time to metamorphosis” and that “these food effects may be mediated through diet induced changes in thyroid function,” which means that the food that the tadpoles ingest dictates the changes in the thyroid gland's production of certain proteins. Tadpoles most commonly feed on algae, diatoms, and detritus. As the species grows older, it changes its diet to animal tissue which must be swallowed whole because the frog's jaw is structured on a hinge joint that does not allow for sideways movement as in humans. Adult frogs eat a range of foods such as moths, ants, grasshoppers, hornets, beetles, flies, water striders, and snails.
Read more about this topic: Foothill Yellow-legged Frog
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