Animal's Life Cycle

What is a Life Cycle?

Every animal goes through a life cycle. This is the series of changes an animal goes through from the time it is born or hatched until it becomes a grown-up (adult) and has babies of its own.

Life cycles go in a circle. When the adult animal has a baby, the cycle starts all over again!

The Four Main Stages Most animal life cycles follow these basic steps:

1. Birth or Egg: Life begins either as a live baby or inside an egg.
2. Growth: The baby animal eats and grows bigger.
3. Adulthood: The animal is fully grown.
4. Reproduction: The adult animal has its own babies.

Different Ways to Grow Not all animals grow the same way. Some look like their parents right away, while others change completely!

Growing and Changing (Metamorphosis)** Some animals go through a "big change." They look totally different at every stage of their life.

• The Butterfly Cycle:

• Egg: Laid on a leaf.

• Larva: A caterpillar hatches and eats leaves.

• Pupa: The caterpillar builds a chrysalis (a hard shell).

• Adult: A beautiful butterfly comes out and flies away.

• The Frog Cycle:

• Egg: Laid in the water.

• Tadpole: Hatches with a tail and gills like a fish.

• Froglet: Grows legs and starts to lose its tail.

• Adult Frog: Breathes with lungs and hops on land.

Why Do Animals Have Life Cycles?

• Survival: Each stage of the cycle helps the animal survive. For example, a caterpillar's job is to eat, while a butterfly's job is to travel and lay eggs.
• New Life: Life cycles ensure that there will always be new animals to replace the old ones.

Lesson Summary

• A life cycle is a circle of life that repeats.
• Metamorphosis is a big change (like a caterpillar to a butterfly).
• Some animals hatch from eggs, and some are born alive.