The weird and wonderful metamorphosis of the butterfly - Franziska Bauer
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TEDEd Animation
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In order to become a butterfly, a caterpillar’s body dissolves almost completely and is rebuilt from its own juices. Butterflies are just a few of the 800,000 insect species that transition from larvae to adults through complete metamorphosis. But how exactly does this process work? Franziska Bauer explains how these squishy larvae emerge as armored, aerodynamic, and nimble adults.
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4 Open Answer Questions Dig Deeper Learn More Discuss 1 Guided Discussion &
0 Open Discussions
A lot of the caterpillar’s tissues dissolve right before and after it pupates. However, the caterpillar does not liquefy completely. Which organs stay intact and still exist in the adult butterfly? What could be the reason why they have to stay intact?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Franziska Bauer
- Director Avi Ofer
- Script Editor Elizabeth Cox
- Animator Avi Ofer
- Composer Marcos Tawil
- Sound Designer Marcos Tawil
- Associate Producer Elizabeth Cox
- Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Narrator Addison Anderson
- Fact-Checker Brian Gutierrez
