Insects grow through the process of metamorphosis, meaning that they undergo change. Insect groups that undergo a complete metamorphosis include beetles, moths, butterflies, sawflies, wasps, ants, bees, and flies. All these groups begin their life cycle as an egg. The egg hatches into a larva such as a caterpillar, grub, or maggot that feeds, molts (sheds its skin), and grows larger. The larva goes through an inactive pupa stage for example, it is wrapped up in a cocoon and emerges as an adult insect, such as a butterfly or beetle, that looks very different from the larva it once was. Other insect groups do not go through a complete metamorphosis, but rather experience gradual changes as they turn into adults. These include scales, aphids, cicadas, leafhoppers, true bugs, grasshoppers, crickets, praying mantises, cockroaches, earwigs, and dragonflies. Immature forms of these insects are called nymphs. The nymphs grow and gradually change size, shedding their skin along the way. After a final molt, the full adult form emerges.

• Why are there so many insects?
• How many different kinds of insects are there?
• How long is the giant anteater’s tongue?
• Is it true that a shark can smell a drop of blood from a mile away?
• Why is the walrus nicknamed tooth walker?
• Do bighorn sheep break their horns when they charge?
• Why are polar bears white?
• Do bears really sleep through an entire winter?
• What happens during an eclipse of the Sun?
• Which African animal can eat up to half a ton of plants each day?
• Why do zebras have stripes?
• Why do camels have humps?
• Which mammal is the smelliest?
• Which mammal spends the most time sleeping?
• What is an endangered species?
• Which animal is both the biggest mammal and the largest living creature on Earth?
• Which mammal is the slowest?
• Which mammal is the fastest?
• Are there any poisonous mammals?
• What would happen if there wasn’t a Sun?