Insect Life Cycle

Insect Life Cycle

Introduction When you were born, your body was shaped a lot like it is now. It was smaller, of course, but you had a head, legs, arms, and a torso. When you grow up, your body shape will be about the same. But some baby animals look nothing like the adults they will become.

These animals have a different kind of life cycle. A life cycle is the series of changes an animal goes through during its life. Insects have fascinating life cycles. Some insects have a four-stage life cycle. The insect lives as an egg, larva (LAR- vuh), pupa (PYOO-puh), and an adult. Others have a three-stage life cycle. The insect is born as an egg, hatches as a nymph (NIMF), and changes into an adult.

What Are Insects? There are more than 800, 000 different kinds of insects. They include butterflies, beetles, fleas, and flies. Although they come in almost every shape, most insects have a few things in common.

All insects have six legs. Their bodies are divided into three parts. Most insects have wings and can fly. Most insects also wear their skeletons outside their bodies as hard shells. And all insects begin as eggs.

Egg You can find insect eggs everywhere, if you know where to look. Most insects lay their eggs near the food they like to eat. Moths and butterflies lay eggs underneath leaves. Dung beetles lay eggs in balls of animal poop. Many flies lay eggs on meat. Some insects even lay eggs on other animals.