4 Caterpillars eat so much

What is a life cycle? A life cycle is a series of changes that happens to every living thing. It starts from the moment an egg is fertilized and goes on until death. Not all life cycles are the same, but they often follow the same sort of pattern. What is the first step in a life cycle? The first step in a life cycle is usually when an egg is fertilized. Two adults of the same species mate and produce young. In butterflies, the young start out as tiny eggs. A caterpillar grows inside each egg until it is ready to hatch. The caterpillar of the monarch butterfly eats a plant called mdk-weed. If it eats enough, it can get about 2,000 times heavier in just two weeks! Most female insects lay between 100 and 200 eggs in their lifetime, but queen termites can lay up to 30,000 eggs in a single day Eggs-traordinary! Why do caterpillars eat so much? When a caterpillar hatches, it eats leaves until it is as big as it can grow. Then it makes a hard case, or pupa, around its body. The caterpillar changes into a butterfly inside this case. How does a butterfly get out? The pupa splits so the butterfly can crawl out. It pumps blood into its crumpled wings to open them out, then it sits in the sun until they are dry. The adult butterfly then flies off to find a mate and start a new life cycle. Each life cycle ends when the adult creature dies. But if the creature leaves behind young, a new cycle of life begins.

Do all living things reproduce? Yes, living things have young to make sure that their species survives. A female pig can have up to 12 babies at a me. When the piglets have grown into adults, they will have babies of their own. Why do animals have two parents? Most animals, including mammals and birds, have two parents, a male and a female. When they breed, they pass on chemical instructions called genes. Genes control the way a new animal looks, and the way its body works. Which living thing splits in two? Amoebas are shapeless blobs that live in water. They are tiny living things that are made up of only one cell the building blocks that make up every Like bacteria, amoebas reproduce by splitting themselves in two. Bacteria can split apart and make millions of young in just a few hours. Some bacteria are harmless, but others can cause infections in people. Mayflies live life in the fast lane! Some live for just a few hours as an adult, and must find a mate before they die. Mice and other rodents breed very quickly. A pair of house mice can produce 14 litters, or sets of babies, in just one year!

Why do turtles have lots of babies? Some animals have lots of babies to make sure at least some survive. Hundreds of baby hatch at the same time and head for the sea. Gulls and lizards eat some of them, but because there are so many turtles, a large number will survive. Do any animals have just one baby? Yes, orang-utans have one baby at a time. This gives the mother more time to feed and look after the baby, and keep it safe. The baby grows quite slowly, but learns how to survive. This increases its chances of becoming an adult. Do mums and dads get help? Sometimes, yes. Bee-eaters are birds that eat bees and other insects. Bee—eater parents can't carry enough food to feed all their babies, so their older children help them out. Humans usually give birth to one child at a time, but sometimes more. Very rarely, a woman gives birth to seven or even eight babies at once!

Do plants have babies? Most plants produce seeds that grow into new plants. Flowering plants produce seeds when they are fertilized. Insects such as bees help fertilize plants by carrying pollen from one flower to another. The fertilized plant then produces its seeds. Seeds may be small, but they contain all the building blocks that a plant needs to grow. A tiny acorn can grow. into an oak tree more than 40 metres tall! Bees like to eat the dust-like pollen made by flowers. As a bee flies around, it spreads pollen from flower to flower and fertilizes the plants. Why are seeds spread? Seeds need to be spread away from a plant so that they have space to grow. When an animal eats fruit, the tough seeds pass out of the animal in its droppings. The droppings help the seed to grow into a new plant. Some seeds have spiky or sticky cases. These get stuck in an animal's fair, and are carried to new places when the animal moves around. Which plant 'runs'? Some plants can make new plants by sending out shoots. Strawberries, for example, produce shoots called runners without being fertilized. They also make flowers that are fertilized and form seeds.

Do animals make seeds? No, animals make babies. Not all babies look like their parents. Baby insects, such as ladybird larvae often look completely different from the adults. But as they grow, they change. In time, they will mate and have babies of their own. why do birds sit on their eggs? All birds lay eggs, and most of them sit on them until they hatch. They do this because baby birds need warmth to grow. The mother is often in charge of this task, although sometimes the parents take turns. Do any mammals lay eggs? Most mammals give birth to live young, but the duck-billed platypus lays eggs. The female platypus lays two or three small eggs. The eggs hatch after about ten days. The mother feeds the babies with milk for up to five months. The platypus is a master builder. It digs tunnels in riverbanks to make safe nests. The entrances to the tunnels are often underwater. The ostrich lays the heaviest egg of any bird. Each one can weigh up to 1.3 kilograms that's more than a bag of sugar! Tadpoles look very different from adult frogs. But in just a few weeks, they grow legs and start to look like their parents.

Which animal likes snorkelling? Mosquitoes lay their eggs in still water. When the young hatch, they need to breathe air, so they poke a special tube through the surface of the water. This acts like a snorkel and lets them suck in air. How long does a cicada stay young? A young cicada spends most of its life underground, feeding on plant sap. It stays like this for up to 17 years. It then crawls up a tree, sheds its skin one last time, and becomes an adult. The adult cicada lives for just a few weeks. Why does a glow-worm glow? The glow-worm is a beetle that makes a light in its body. The female has a special organ in her abdomen that gives off light. The beetle glows to signal to a male that she is nearby and ready to mate. Why do insects hide eggs? Insects hide their eggs to stop other animals eating them. Cabbage white butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of cabbage leaves. This hides the eggs and will also provide fresh leaves for the young to eat. Unlike most insects, female earwigs guard their eggs from predators until they hatch. If you threaten an elephant hawkmoth caterpillar, it will suck in air and blow up its head to make itself look too big to eat!