Relating to the larva stage of development in animals that undergo metamorphosis. Larval forms are typically very different from adult forms in appearance, behavior, and habitat.
From Latin 'larva' meaning ghost or mask, because the larval form was seen as a disguised version of the true animal. The scientific use began in the 1600s when biologists studying insect development adopted this term.
Larval stages represent some of nature's most dramatic transformations, where creatures that look like tiny aliens become familiar animals! A caterpillar's larval body completely dissolves into soup inside its chrysalis before reorganizing into a butterfly, while some marine larvae drift as plankton for months before settling down to become bottom-dwelling adults.
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