Metamorphosis

Hello!

Today we thought it would be good to explain exactly how metamorphosis works. It's a term that we often use when talking about frogs, butterflies or other animals, but we've never actually explained what it is or how it works.

What is metamorphosis?

Metamorphosis is the term used to describe the changes that some animals undergo when turning into adults. It is a physical change that happens after birth/hatching. There is a brilliant quote from the website a-z animals that I just couldn't put any better:

unlike the typical subtle developments in animals, metamorphosis is dramatic. It’s controlled by a release of hormones in the cells. Mammals usually move from adolescence to adulthood and old age gradually, maintaining their form and shape. However, in metamorphosis, an animal moves through those stages and changes from one form or shape to another.

How does metamorphosis work?

Let's take the classic butterfly example./div>

Stage 1: The butterfly lays eggs on plant stems. The eggs are tiny and can be pretty much any shape: round, oval or cylindrical.

Stage 2: Butterfly egg hatches as a caterpillar, which can have up to 16 legs! The caterpillar eats as much as it can and grows a lot, shedding its skin up to five times. When finished growing it spins itself a cocoon and sheds its skin one last time.

Stage 3: This stage can take from a few weeks to several months. The larvae cells and tissues reorganise completely. The outlines of eyes, wings, legs and body become visible. The energy required for this process comes from all the food that the caterpillar eats during Stage 2.

Stage 4: The adult butterfly emerges from the cocoon and flies away.

Which animals metamorphose?

Butterflies
Moths
Frogs
Toads
Dragonflies
Beetles
Lobsters
Cockroaches
Some types of spider
Ladybirds
Grasshoppers
Some types of starfish

... and many more insects, amphibians and crustaceans.

I hope you enjoyed this short explanation of metamorphosis.

Your Green World Blog Team 💚

Image

Emerging Monarch, owned by Patty O'Hearn Kickham (on flickr.com) is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Sources:
https://a-z-animals.com/blog/5-animals-that-go-through-metamorphosis-how-they-do-it/
https://www.snexplores.org/article/explainer-animal-metamorphosis

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