Camouflage

This is when something resembles its surroundings so much that it blends into the background. This helps living things to hide from predators, or to sneak up on prey.

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This means "change of body form and appearance". An insect's outer coating is hard, so it can't stretch when an insect grows. The coating must split, with a new larger one appearing underneath. The new coating is sufficiently large to allow the animal to grow underneath.

There are two types of metamorphosis, complete and incomplete.

Complete metamorphosis has 4 stages of growth, egg, larva, pupa and adult. As the insect grows, its shape changes completely. During the pupal (chrysalis) stage, the body undergoes a complete reorganisation, transforming into the adult. As the larva looks completely different from the adult, this is termed complete metamorphosis.

Incomplete metamorphosis has only 3 stages: egg; nymph; and adult. The insects hatch from their eggs looking like miniature adults. These young insects are called nymphs. As they grow, they shed their skin several times before they become adults. At each shedding of the skin, the nymph enters a new "instar", a new stage of growth.

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Molluscs are a type of soft-bodied animal, without a backbone. Many molluscs have a hard outer shell. They include squid, octopuses, clams, and mussels. Some molluscs, like garden snails and slugs live on the land.

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Nymph

The nymph is the young stage of an insect. It is like a tiny version of the adult. The nymph gradually grows, and sheds its skin along the way - eventually becoming an adult. This is known as incomplete metamorphosis. Insects such as dragonfly, grasshoppers and mayfly, undergo this process.

More complex insects such as flies, bees, butterflies and moths, undergo a different process, known as complete metamorphosis.

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Wings Insect wings are found in many different shapes and sizes. They are used for flying, but also to attract a mate or hide from predators. Most insects have two pairs of wings, which have veins running down them to give them strength. Dragonflies are expert fliers in the insect world. They can fly, hover, change direction and even fly backwards.

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