The frog is one; a tadpole after escaping the egg, he slowly transforms over a season. Water is one of a few basic necessities for development. A tadpole's exact requirements for life vary depending on species. The one thing tadpoles need above all else is water. Some species have unique adaptations that facilitate their getting to it. For example, the waxy monkey frog lays eggs in leaf nests a few feet above the water's surface so that when the eggs hatch the tadpoles wriggle free and drop into the water below.