metamorphózissal

Metamorphosis is a biological process where an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. This process is common in insects, amphibians, and some other animals. The most widely recognized examples occur in insects, such as butterflies and moths, where a larva (like a caterpillar) transforms into an adult insect through a pupal stage. Amphibians, like frogs, also undergo metamorphosis, transitioning from an aquatic larval stage (tadpole) with gills to a terrestrial or semi-aquatic adult with lungs.

There are two main types of metamorphosis in insects: complete and incomplete. Complete metamorphosis involves four distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The larval stage is primarily focused on feeding and growth, while the pupal stage is a period of dramatic internal and external reorganization. Incomplete metamorphosis, also known as gradual metamorphosis, has three stages: egg, nymph, and adult. The nymph resembles a smaller version of the adult and gradually molts, shedding its exoskeleton as it grows, until it reaches the adult form. This process is crucial for the life cycle and ecological roles of many species, allowing them to exploit different resources and habitats at different life stages.