Metamorphosis

Human babies, like all mammals, usually look like their parents Human babies, like all mammals, usually look like their parents. Human babies look like little people. Kittens look like smaller versions of cats. Puppies look like smaller versions of dogs. All these babies will grow and develop. But from the time they are born, you can tell what kind of animals they are. The babies of most birds, fish, and reptiles look very much like their parents, except for size and color. Baby snakes, for example, often look exactly like adults, except for size. But some animals go through great changes during their life cycle. They look nothing like their parents until they are adults themselves. This is called metamorphosis.

Metamorphosis is when animals change from one form to a completely different form during their life cycle. Wasps, fireflies, ladybugs, and bees have this kind of life cycle. Mosquitoes and butterflies do too. We also know the darkling beetles goes through metamorphosis.

There are four stages in metamorphosis. 1st- egg 2nd- larva 3rd- pupa 4th- adult

Butterfly Click on the picture

Fireflies Fireflies typically lay their eggs in damp soil. Eggs hatch within weeks, and larvae overwinter. Fireflies may remain in the larval stage for several years before pupating in the spring. In ten days to a few weeks, adults emerge from the pupal cases. Adults live just long enough to reproduce.

Darkling Beetle The mealworm undergoes complete metamorphosis. The female darkling beetle lays hundreds of tiny, white, oval eggs, which hatch into tiny mealworms (the larval stage) - it takes from 4 to 19 days to hatch. Each mealworm eats a tremendous amount and grows a lot, molting (shedding its exoskeleton) many times as it grows. It then enters the pupal stage (this stage lasts from 2-3 weeks up to 9 months, if the pupal stage over-winters). The pupa does not eat and seems inactive, but it is transforming itself into an adult. After pupating, a white adult darkwing beetle emerges from the pupa -- it soon turns brown and then almost black. The adult lives for a few months. The entire life cycle takes about a year.

Egg : Eggs are laid one at a time and they float on the surface of the water. In the case of Culex and Culiseta species, the eggs are stuck together in rafts of a hundred or more eggs. Anopheles and Aedes species do not make egg rafts but lay their eggs separately. Culex, Culiseta, and Anopheles lay their eggs on water while Aedes lay their eggs on damp soil that will be flooded by water. Most eggs hatch into larvae within 48 hours. Larva : The larva (larvae - plural) live in the water and come to the surface to breathe. They shed their skin four times growing larger after each molting. Most larvae have siphon tubes for breathing and hang from the water surface. Anopheles larvae do not have a siphon and they lay parallel to the water surface. The larva feed on micro-organisms and organic matter in the water. On the fourth molt the larva changes into a pupa. Pupa: The pupal stage is a resting, non-feeding stage. This is the time the mosquito turns into an adult. It takes about two days before the adult is fully developed. When development is complete, the pupal skin splits and the mosquito emerges as an adult. Adult: The newly emerged adult rests on the surface of the water for a short time to allow itself to dry and all its parts to harden. Also, the wings have to spread out and dry properly before it can fly. The egg, larvae and pupae stages depend on temperature and species characteristics as to how long it takes for development. For instance, Culex tarsalis might go through its life cycle in 14 days at 70 F and take only 10 days at 80 F. Also, some species have naturally adapted to go through their entire life cycle in as little as four days or as long as one month. Mosquito

Bees Click here to watch a video on the life cycle of the honey bee. This is the life cycle page. A bee is like a butterfly because it goes though several stages in its life. Keep reading to find out about a bee's life.   Egg A queen lays soft white eggs in the comb. The egg stage takes place during days 1 through 3. Larva In three days, the egg hatches into a larva. Workers feed it bee milk and bee bread. It spins a cocoon around itself. The larva stage takes place during days 4 through 9. Pupa In the cocoon, the larva turns into a pupa. It now has eyes, wings, and legs. It looks more like a bee. This stage is during days 10 through 23, depending on the type of bee it will become. Adult This is the final stage in a bee's complete metamorphosis. It is full grown. The bee chews its way out of the cell. It becomes an adult on days 16 through 24, depending on what type of bee it is. Click here to watch a video on the life cycle of the honey bee. http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX416b5d6a524409536f5251&t=Metamorphosis

Frog Click to watch video: http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX6415445a68030b7351050a&t=Metamorphosis

Sources http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/insects/beetles/mealworm/mealwormlifecycle.shtml http://www.mosquitoes.org/LifeCycle.html Metamorphosis SRA