Animal Life Cycle interactive worksheet - Free Printable

Here is the solution to each question with a clear explanation:

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1. Which is *not* an example of a salamander’s life cycle?

✔ Correct Answer: D. has live babies

Explanation:
Salamanders are amphibians. Their life cycle includes:
- Laying eggs in water (so A is correct).
- Hatching into larvae (tadpole-like) that have gills.
- Undergoing metamorphosis — losing gills and growing lungs to live on land (B is correct).
- Many return to water to lay eggs as adults (C is correct).

But salamanders do not give birth to live young — they lay eggs. So D is NOT part of their life cycle.

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2. Compare the butterfly life cycle to the grasshopper life cycle? How are they the same?

✔ Correct Answer: b. Both animals start out as eggs.

Explanation:
- Butterfly: egg → larva (caterpillar) → pupa → adult (complete metamorphosis)
- Grasshopper: egg → nymph → adult (incomplete metamorphosis)

They both start as eggs, so b is correct.

- a. “Both animals fly” — Not true for all stages; grasshopper nymphs don’t fly.
- c. “Hang from tree branches” — Only butterflies do this during pupa stage; grasshoppers don’t.
- d. “Both animals hop” — Butterflies don’t hop; grasshoppers do.

So only b is universally true for both.

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3. After a fish egg hatches, it _______________.

✔ Correct Answer: B. looks like a small version of its parents

Explanation:
Fish undergo direct development — meaning the young (called fry) look like miniature versions of the adult fish. They do not go through metamorphosis like frogs or butterflies (so A is wrong). They grow gradually into adults.

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4. Which animal has a life cycle most like a chicken’s life cycle?

✔ Correct Answer: D. turtle

Explanation:
Chickens are birds. They:
- Lay eggs
- Hatch into young that resemble adults (chicks)
- Grow into adults without metamorphosis

Turtles are reptiles — they also:
- Lay eggs
- Hatch into mini-adults (no metamorphosis)
- Grow gradually

Dogs, bears, and horses are mammals — they give birth to live young, not eggs. So turtle is the closest match.

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5. When does a life cycle end?

✔ Correct Answer: B. when the organism dies

Explanation:
A life cycle describes the stages from birth (or hatching/germination) to death. Reproduction (C) is part of continuing the species, but the individual’s life cycle ends at death. Growth (D) is part of the cycle, not the end. “Never” (A) is incorrect — all organisms die eventually.

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6. Which is the second stage in a ladybug’s life cycle?

✔ Correct Answer: C. larva

Explanation:
Looking at the diagram provided:
1. Egg → 2. Larva → 3. Pupa → 4. Adult

So the second stage is larva.

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✔ Final Answers:

1. D
2. b
3. B
4. D
5. B
6. C

Let me know if you’d like a printable version or further explanations!