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Animal Life Cycles

Inspire Science

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What is a Life Cycle?

A life cycle

is how an

organism

changes from

birth as it

grows into an

adult.

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Are all life cycles the same?

▪ No, they are not. Life cycles

vary from organism to

organism. Many animals are

born looking like their parents.

Nothing changes except its size

and sometime the color of the

hair, like the horse.

▪ Other animals only begin to

resemble their parents as

they grow. (Like the frog.)

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Do plants have life cycles?

▪ Yes, plants have life

cycle. The life cycle of

a plant begins with a

seed. A seed has a

protective coating

called the shell. The

shell contains

everything needed to

start a new plant.

Inside the seed coating

is an embryo, which

will become the new

plant.

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Complete Metamorphosis

▪ Some animals, such as

butterflies, moths, frogs,

and salamanders,

develop through a life

cycle called complete

metamorphosis.

▪ There are 4 different life

stages

▪ The animal looks

different during each of

the stages

▪ The stages are, egg,

catarpiller, chrysalis and

Butterfly

zIn the insect group, a primary stage of complete metamorphosis is in the larva stages

▪ Larva is a worm-like form with

no wings

▪ It hatches from an egg

▪ It spends its time eating

▪ It can eat more then its body

weight

▪ Types of larvae Mealworms and

caterpillars

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The next stage is the pupa stage.

During this stage, the animal develops a hard shell or case around itself and

does not move or eat

Butterflies make chrysalises

Moth make cocoonsThe pupa changes inside these shells

rapidly

Caterpillars become butterflies or moth

Mealworms become darkling beetles.

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The Last stage of complete metamorphosis is the adult stage

▪ The insect come out from

the shell. It has all its

parts wings, antennae,

legs, and other parts it did

not have during the other

stages. The adult insect

lays new eggs, and the

cycle begins again.

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Stop reading and google The Amazing Life Cycle of the Monarch

ButterflyWhen you are done watching the video, draw the life cycle of the

monarch butterfly label the pictures and explain the life cycle in a

paragraph. Please use complete sentences.

Word that should be included in your writing:

▪ Complete metamorphosis

▪ Egg

▪ Larvae (caterpillar)

▪ Pupa (chrysalis)

▪ Adult butterfly

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Animal Life Cycles-Incomplete Metamorphosis grasshoppers, crickets, praying mantises, damselflies dragonflies, and cockroaches

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

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Incomplete Metamorphosis

▪ During incomplete metamorphosis

an insect develops in three stages

instead of four.

The three stages are:

1. Egg stage, this stage the insect

hatches from an egg

2. The nymph stage: a nymph is a

small version of an adult insect. A

nymph does not have wings this

stage is very gradual; in this stage it

spends most of its time eating and

growing. As it grows it sheds its

skins. The process is called molting.

3. Adult stage, the nymph reaches its

adult size. It may grow wings and its

reproductive system, The female

adult will lay eggs

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Draw the life cycle of the Praying Mantis and explain the

cycle. Don’t forget to use science vocabulary.

Word bank:

▪ Life cycle

▪ incomplete metamorphosis

▪ Egg

▪ Nymphs

▪ adult

Google: Praying Mantis life cycle