Iodine and thyroxine have also been shown to stimulate the spectacular apoptosis of the cells of the larval gills, tail and fins during metamorphosis in amphibians, as well as the transformation of their nervous system from that of the aquatic, herbivorous tadpole into that of the terrestrial, carnivorous adult. The frog species Xenopus laevis has proven to be an ideal model organism for experimental study of the mechanisms of apoptosis and the role of iodine in developmental biology.