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 its eggs on a leaf.
A butterfly lays tiny eggs on a leaf so the baby caterpillars will have food as soon as they hatch.
2. The caterpillar wraps itself in a cocoon.
When a butterfly egg hatches, a small caterpillar comes out. The caterpillar is the larva stage of the butterfly.
3. A baby frog is called a tadpole.
A caterpillar wraps itself in a chrysalis to protect itself while it changes into a butterfly inside.
4. A tadpole grows legs to become a frog.
Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar slowly transforms into a butterfly with wings, legs, and antennae.
5. Chicks use a beak to crack the shell.
A frog starts as a small egg laid in water. The egg will hatch into a tiny tadpole.
6. A caterpillar is the larva stage.
The egg hatches and a tadpole comes out. A tadpole is a baby frog that lives in water and breathes with gills.
7. The last stage of a life cycle is the adult.
As a tadpole changes into a frog, it grows legs for hopping and its tail slowly shrinks away because frogs do not need tails.
8. Every animal life cycle starts with an egg.
A chicken starts its life inside an egg. The mother hen keeps the egg warm until the chick is ready to hatch.
9. A frog can live on land and in water.
All animals change as they grow up. They get bigger, stronger, and develop new features at each stage of their life cycle.
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
first stage
caterpillar
→ butterfly
butterfly
tadpole
→ frog
frog
chick
→ chicken
chicken
Each baby animal name matches with what it will become: eggs come first, caterpillars become butterflies, tadpoles become frogs, and chicks become chickens.