Molt
Molting (or moulting, see spelling differences) is the routine shedding of old feathers in birds, old hairs in mammals (see also coat (dog)), old skin in reptiles, and the entire exoskeleton in arthropods.
Molting in birds
Molting in birds is a comparatively slow process, as a bird never sheds all its feathers at once; it must keep enough of its feathers to regulate its body temperature and repel moisture. Some species of wild bird become flightless during an annual "wing moult" and must seek protected habitat with a reliable food supply during that time. A moulting bird should never have any bald spots. If a pet bird has any bald spots, the bird should be taken to an avian veterinarian to search for possible causes for the baldness, which may include giardia, mites, or feather-plucking.
The process of moulting in birds is as follows:
- The bird begins to shed some old feathers
- Pin feathers grow in to replace the old feathers
- As the pin feathers become full feathers, other feathers are shed
This is a cyclical process that happens in many phases. In general, a moult begins at a bird's head, progresses down the body to its wings and torso, and finishes with the tail feathers.
Moulting in reptiles
The most familiar example of moulting in reptiles is when snakes "shed their skin". This is usually achieved by the snake rubbing its head against a hard object, such as a rock (or between two rocks) or piece of wood, causing the already stretched skin to split. At this point, the snake continues to rub its skin on objects, causing the end nearest the head to peel back on itself, until the snake is able to crawl out of its skin, effectively turning the molted skin inside-out. This is similar to how you might remove a sock from your foot by grabbing the open end and pulling it over itself. The snake's skin is often left in one piece after the moulting process.
Moulting in arthropods
In arthropods, such as insects, arachnids and crustaceans, moulting is the shedding of the exoskeleton (which is often called its shell), typically to let the organism grow. This process is called ecdysis. Ecdysis is necessary because the exoskeleton is rigid and cannot grow (like skin). The new exoskeleton is initially soft but hardens after the moulting of the old exoskeleton.
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