Metamorphosis Mrs. Angel Click on the arrow or picture to see what the next stages are.
Frogs come from tadpoles but first they must survive being hatched from eggs that the male frogs fertilize. These eggs will hatch anywhere from 6-21 days.
Caterpillars have an amazing journey they must complete to become a butterfly. Caterpillars first come from eggs that are laid on leaves and plants. Than they hatch to be a caterpillar. It will not stay in this stage for long just until it is ready to transform into a butterfly. We call the caterpillar the larvae stage in this cycle.
This picture is a a great example of how the tadpole transforms into a frog. After about 6 to 9 weeks, little tiny legs start to sprout. The head becomes more distinct and the body elongates. The arms will begin to form where they will eventually pop out, elbow first. After about 9 weeks, the tadpole looks more like a frog with a really long tail.
Caterpillars must go through a cocoon stage, know as the pupa. As soon as a caterpillar has fully grown it will start the pupa stage of its life. This is the last stage before it is ready to become a butterfly. In this stage the caterpillar is undergoing a complete change. The limbs and organs all change inside of the pupa. These transformations are called “metamorphosis”.
After 12 to 16 weeks, depending on water and food supply, the frog has completed the full growth cycle. It has came a long way from an egg, to the different transformation of the tadpoles, and now the final stage of becoming a frog. Now we have a full grown frog that rip-pits and everything!
After the caterpillar has done all of its forming and changing inside the pupa it is now ready to hatch and become a butterfly. When the butterfly first emerges, both of the wings are going to be soft and folded against its body. As soon as the butterfly has rested after coming out, it will pump blood into the wings in order to get them working and flapping. Now we have an adult butterfly that is ready to fly and start its new life as a butterfly.