Animal Life Cycles Unit 4, Lesson 6

What is metamorphosis? A series of distinct growth stages in an animal’s life cycle that are different from one another.

What is complete metamorphosis? A series of four distinct growth stages in an animal’s life cycle. Egg, larva, pupa, adult

Larva An immature stage in complete metamorphosis where the organism does not resemble the adult

Pupa A non-feeding stage in complete metamorphosis in which a hard, case-like cocoon surround the organism

Incomplete metamorphosis A series of three growth stages that occur gradually Egg, nymph, adult

Nymph A stage of metamorphosis where the organism is similar to an adult form but is smaller

In the life cycle of a butterfly, what stage is the caterpillar? Larva

What happens during the nymph stage of incomplete metamorphosis? The organism gets bigger but keeps the same basic shape and form

How does the complete metamorphosis differ from the incomplete metamorphosis? Complete metamorphosis has 4 distinct stages, while the incomplete metamorphosis has only 3 distinct stages.

Most tadpoles are herbivores, or plant eaters What do tadpoles eat? Most tadpoles are herbivores, or plant eaters

Why don’t tadpoles hatch with lungs? Frog eggs are laid in the water. If tadpoles hatched with lungs rather than gills, they would not be able to breathe. Tadpoles are completely aquatic for the first part of their lives

What happens when a froglet becomes an adult? It moves onto land Breathes air Begins meat eating diet

How does a bird’s egg protect the embryo developing inside? The shell keeps the embryo from drying out. The yolk provides food for the developing embryo.

How is a fish or amphibian egg protected? It is protected by a jellylike layer that surrounds the egg

Name some animals that go through complete metamorphosis Butterflies Moths Flies Beetles

Name some animals that go through incomplete metamorphosis Grasshoppers Termites Bedbugs

What metamorphosis stage is skipped in incomplete metamorphosis? In incomplete metamorphosis, the nymph stage is the same as the larva stage in a complete metamorphosis, and the pupa stage is skipped.

Why can’t grasshoppers grow gradually like mammals, reptiles, and birds do? Grasshoppers have an exoskeleton

How does an amphibian’s life cycle differ from that of other vertebrates? Amphibians go through metamorphosis, but other vertebrate do not.

Why do animals have different eggs? Animals have different eggs depending on their structures and the environments in which they live.

What are the only mammals that lay eggs? Monotremes are the only mammals that lay eggs.