Metamorphosis

Every animal goes through the stages of child to adult, but not all animals go through metamorphosis. To metamorphosis is to go through many changes until the larva has changed completely into the different adult form,not just growing larger but loosing and replacing body parts. So if you saw the larva it would be difficult to guess what the adult looks like. The tadpole's example of metamorphosis mainly surrounds the loss and gain of body parts. First the tadpole gains legs and arms then loses its tail. The tadpole also loses its gills and obtaines new lungs. Another major part of metamorphosis is change in diet. For example at the tadpole stage the tadpole eats algae but once in the frog stage it preys of dragonflies and other invertebrates which preyed upon it when it was a tadpole. The caterpillars also has its own distinct example of metamorphosis. Instead of being active through the metamorphosis, like the tadpole the caterpillar builds a silk cocoon to protect itself while its changing, only to come out when the transformation is done. Like the tadpole the caterpillar also looses and gains body parts. The caterpillar looses its mandibles for a long proboscis and two wings. Like the tadpole after changing the butterfly's diet is far different instead of using mandibles to cut leaves the butterfly now uses its long proboscis to drink nectar from flowers. So when you think about it metamorphosis if similar in they ways it effects different animals.