Tadpole embryos develop strong jaws if they smell shrimp in the water

Some tadpoles can react to their environment even before birth, hatching with stronger jaws if they sense prey in the water while still embryonic.

THE mexican toad (Spea multiplicatalisten)) is a species of small, round frog typically found in arid desert environments. As tadpoles, frogs cope with unpredictable weather conditions by adjusting their diet. Some grow up eating a bit of everything. Others develop into specialized carnivores, even munching on other tadpoles – this allows them to grow faster so they can escape their drying ponds. …