Animals that Grow Up (Simple Life Cycle):

Most animals including fish, mammals, reptiles and birds have very simple life cycles:

* they are born (either alive from their mother or hatched from eggs)

* they grow up

These animals have three stages -- before birth, young and adult. The young are typically similar to the parent, just smaller. The young slowly "grow" to become adults.

Amphibians:

Amphibians, like frogs and newts, have a slightly more complicated life cycle. They undergo a metamorphosis (a big change):

* they are born (either alive from their mother or hatched from eggs)

* they spend their childhood under water, breathing with gills

* they grow into adults and move to the land, breathing with lungs

Animals that Undergo a Complete Metamorphosis:

Insects

These insects have four stages in their life cycle:

* egg: unborn stage.

* larva: young stage -- this is when most of the feeding is done.

(they usually look like worms)

* pupa: inactive (no feeding) stage between larva and adult stages.

(usually well camouflaged)

* adult: final, breeding stage.

(they usually grow wings)

Animals that go through a complete metamorphosis are what my daughter Kaitlyn calls "Wow!" animals -- they go to bed looking one way and wake up a completely different creature. Wow!

Animals that Undergo an Incomplete Metamorphosis:

About 10% of insects go through an incomplete metamorphosis. They do not have a pupa form -- these include dragonflies, grasshoppers and cockroaches.

These insects have three stages in their life cycle:

* egg: unborn stage.

* larva: young stage -- this is when most of the feeding is done.

* adult: final, breeding stage - including wings.