View additional resources, online and in print, for NATURE's "The Body Changers."

The tadpoles of some toads and frogs can morph from placid plant eaters to fierce cannibals if their pools threaten to run dry.

Many creatures undergo startling transformations as they mature. But we are just beginning to understand the genetic blueprints that guide these changes.

Researchers have discovered that all kinds of animals -- from sea slugs and caterpillars to songbirds and people -- undergo constant and remarkable physical changes during their lives.

Many animals have a special ability to transform themselves, for the sake of survival, reproduction, or both.