Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis means a big change in an animal's body as it grows. A caterpillar turns into a butterfly. A tadpole becomes a frog. These changes are some of the most amazing things in nature.

Complete Metamorphosis

Some insects go through four stages of change. They start as an egg, then become a larva, then a pupa, and finally an adult. Butterflies, beetles, and flies all change this way. The pupa stage is when the biggest changes happen.

Incomplete Metamorphosis

Some animals change in fewer steps. Grasshoppers hatch from eggs looking like tiny adults without wings. They grow bigger and get wings as they shed their skin. Frogs go from egg to tadpole to adult frog.

Fun Facts

• Inside a chrysalis, a caterpillar's body breaks down almost completely before rebuilding as a butterfly.
• A tadpole breathes with gills like a fish, but an adult frog breathes with lungs.
• Some beetles spend years as larvae before changing into adults.

Did You Know?

The word metamorphosis comes from Greek words meaning 'change of form.' About 80 percent of all insects go through complete metamorphosis!