Animal Transformations Every spring, the most extraordinary metamorphoses of insects take place by the million-fold around the world. Among butterflies and moths, for instance, pupae—erstwhile caterpillars holed up for the winter in cocoons—begin wriggling about inside their cramped homes. Soon they push out of the cocoon into the open air, their bodies still glistening with fluids that lubricated their passage from the pupal skin. For the first time, they unfold and test their complement of four wings and six legs, which until now have remained fused to their bodies. Their metamorphosis now complete, the newly minted insects fly off in a fervent search for food, mates, and suitable spots to lay their eggs. In the five clips from "Japan's Secret Garden" presented here, watch five species of insect transform themselves into something utterly new. Japan's omurasaki butterfly View the clip in: QuickTime | RealVideo: dialup | broadband Get video software: QuickTime | RealPlayer Giant water bugs View the clip in: QuickTime | RealVideo: dialup | broadband Red dragonfly View the clip in: QuickTime | RealVideo: dialup | broadband Cicada View the clip in: QuickTime | RealVideo: dialup | broadband Cabbage butterfly View the clip in: QuickTime | RealVideo: dialup | broadband Animal Transformations | Miracle of Rice Secrets of Hibernation | Build a Rice Paddy | Resources Transcript | Site Map | Japan's Secret Garden Home Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated December 2000