Scientists Say: Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a drastic transformation in an animal’s appearance from youth to adulthood
Monarch butterflies (pictured) and many other insects undergo a transformation called metamorphosis as they grow up.
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Metamorphosis (noun, “Met-uh-MOR-foh-sis”)
Metamorphosis is a drastic change in an animal’s appearance as it grows up. All animals change somewhat as they get older. In some species — such as humans, dogs or cats — young animals look like mini versions of their parents. Animals that go through metamorphosis experience much bigger changes. They might lose tails or grow legs or wings.
This process is especially common in insects. Perhaps the most famous example is a butterfly. When a butterfly egg hatches, a caterpillar emerges. That caterpillar later becomes enclosed in a chrysalis. There, it grows wings and other adult body parts, emerging as a butterfly. This total overhaul of the insect’s body is known as “complete metamorphosis.” Other insects go through “incomplete metamorphosis.” That process involves changes that are less radical. Crickets, for instance, are born without wings. But for the most part, young crickets look mostly like small versions of adult crickets.
Many amphibians go through metamorphosis, too. Frogs hatch as tadpoles. Those little swimmers later lose their tails and grow legs to hop around on land. Their gills also disappear and their lungs take over for breathing. Metamorphosis is also seen in sea dwellers such as sea stars, crabs and clams.
In a sentence
When amphibians called hellbenders go through metamorphosis, they grow lungs.
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