Moulting

Moulting (or molting, also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis) is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer layer or covering), either at specific times of the year, or at specific points in its life cycle.

Overview

Moulting can involve shedding the epidermis (skin), pelage (hair, feathers, fur, wool), or other external layer. In some groups, other body parts may be shed, for example, wings in some insects or the entire exoskeleton in arthropods.

Moulting in birds

For birds, moulting is the periodic replacement of feathers by shedding old feathers while producing new ones. Feathers are dead structures at maturity which are gradually abraded and need to be replaced. Adult birds moult at least once a year, although many moult twice and a few three times each year. It is generally a slow process as birds rarely shed all their feathers at any one time; the bird must retain the ability to fly.

Moulting in reptiles and amphibians

In some species of reptiles and amphibians, an unusual form of moulting occurs, in which the entire outer layer of skin is shed at once as a complete, intact layer. Among reptiles, this is most commonly seen in geckos and snakes, which can aid in this process by rubbing against rough surfaces, causing the already-loosened skin to rip and peel away from the body.

Moulting in arthropods

Arthropods, including insects, spiders and crustaceans, must shed their exoskeleton in order to grow or mature. This process is called ecdysis. It is commonly said that ecdysis is necessary because the exoskeleton is rigid and cannot grow like skin, but this is simplistic, ignoring the fact that many animals with flexible skin also undergo moulting (for example, snakes and lizards).

See also

• Feather plucking
• Feather pecking
• Feather tecting
• Feather loss
• Feather damage

References

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