Life Cycles
Tiffany Alcorn
What is a life cycle?
A life cycle is the series of changes in the life of an organism, including reproduction.
Animal Life Cycles
Most animals including fish, mammals, reptiles and birds have very simple life cycles:
- they are born (either alive from their mother or hatched from eggs)
- they grow up
These animals have three stages -- before birth, young and adult. The young are typically similar to the parent, just smaller. The young slowly "grow" to become adults.
What is metamorphosis?
Metamorphosis is a process some animals go through to become adults. It is a series of physical changes. Metamorphosis is especially common in insects. Genes and chemicals called hormones control the process.