Life Cycles of Animals — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A butterfly lays tiny eggs on a leaf.
Butterflies pick a good leaf and lay their 'eggs' there so the baby caterpillars can eat the leaf when they hatch.
2. The egg hatches into a caterpillar.
When it is time to change, the caterpillar spins a silky 'cocoon' to keep itself safe while it transforms.
3. A caterpillar wraps itself in a chrysalis.
A baby frog is called a 'tadpole,' and it looks more like a little fish than a frog at first.
4. Inside the chrysalis it becomes a butterfly.
A tadpole needs 'legs' to hop on land, so back legs grow first and then the front legs.
5. A frog begins life as a small egg.
A chick taps the hard egg 'shell' with its beak until it chips open a hole big enough to climb out.
6. The egg grows into a tadpole.
A caterpillar is the 'larva' stage, which is the hungry baby stage of a butterfly.
7. A tadpole grows legs and loses its tail.
The 'adult' is the final stage because the animal is fully grown and can start the cycle again by having babies.
8. A chicken begins its life inside an egg.
Every life cycle you see in this unit begins with an 'egg,' whether on a leaf, in water, or in a nest.
9. Animals change as they grow up.
Frogs are amphibians, so they can live both on land and in 'water' — that is why they need ponds.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
egg
→ first stage
baby frog
caterpillar
→ baby butterfly
baby butterfly
tadpole
→ baby frog
baby chicken
chick
→ baby chicken
first stage
The egg is always stage one, and each baby grows into its matching adult: a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, a tadpole becomes a frog, and a chick becomes a chicken.