Insect life cycles: complete metamorphosis · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

The four stages of complete metamorphosis

Science · Insects & Minibeasts · ages 7-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which of these creatures has a pupa stage in its life cycle?

    • Spider
    • Beetle
    • Snail

  2. Sana watched a caterpillar curl up and turn into a pupa. What will come out of the pupa when it opens?

    • An adult butterfly
    • A tiny new egg
    • A bigger caterpillar

  3. The larva stage looks like a tiny copy of the adult insect.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. During which stage does an insect do most of its eating and growing?

    • Larva
    • Pupa
    • Egg

  5. A tiny grub just hatched out of an insect egg. Which stage is it in now?

    • Pupa
    • Adult
    • Larva

  6. A maggot is the larva stage of which insect?

    • A butterfly
    • A fly
    • A ladybird

  7. Ben watches a pupa hanging from a branch. It does not move at all, so he says, "Nothing is happening in there. The insect is just waiting." What would you tell Ben?

    • Lots is happening: its body is changing into the adult form
    • The insect is fast asleep until it wakes up bigger
    • You are right, a pupa is only a resting shell

  8. Priya says, "The pupa stage is when an insect eats the most food." What is wrong with her idea?

    • The egg eats the most, not the pupa
    • Nothing is wrong, she is right
    • The larva eats the most, not the pupa
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The four stages of complete metamorphosis W1-mt_hsN-YvCNQY-s1

  1. Beetle · Beetles go through complete metamorphosis and have a pupa stage. Spiders and snails do not.
  2. An adult butterfly · The stage that comes after the pupa is the adult. A butterfly is the adult that climbs out of a caterpillar's pupa.
  3. False · The larva looks completely different from the adult. Its body changes shape inside the pupa.
  4. Larva · The larva eats nonstop and grows bigger. The pupa stage is for changing, not eating.
  5. Larva · After the egg, the next stage is always the larva.
  6. A fly · Maggots are fly larvae. They hatch, eat, grow, then pupate into adult flies.
  7. Lots is happening: its body is changing into the adult form · The pupa looks still on the outside, but inside the larva's body is being taken apart and rebuilt into the adult's body.
  8. The larva eats the most, not the pupa · Eating happens in the larva stage. The pupa stage is for rebuilding the body, not eating.
Worksheet · LightMySky