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Why do caterpillars become butterflies?

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Answer: Complete body transformation

Complete body transformation ✓ — Correct! Inside the chrysalis, caterpillar cells break down into a soup-like substance and reorganize into butterfly parts. This complete metamorphosis lets one animal live two very different lives—crawling then flying!

Wings grow from eating — Wrong. Diet doesn't cause metamorphosis. The transformation is genetically programmed and triggered by hormones when the caterpillar is ready.

It's a different species — Wrong. Caterpillars and butterflies are the same species at different life stages, like how tadpoles become frogs.

Go deeper: Metamorphosis · Chrysalis
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