Definition
The process of casting off outer coverings.
Introduction
Protection from the constant assault of environmental harms is a basic need of all living organisms. Whether they are physical or biological, such challenges pose a threat to survival. Defense takes shape in the way of barriers like skin, scales, feathers, and hair which shield the inside environment from the outside one. Like all defenses, these “suits of armor” incur costs to maintain integrity and consequent effectiveness. Skin cells die and are constantly shed and replaced, feathers are lost and new ones grow in, and likewise scales and hair are renewed. Instead of such constant and gradual turnover, some vertebrate animals shed their entire protective covering abruptly as when a snake or frog sheds its skin, or a bird changes plumage. In contrast, most invertebrate animals – lacking an internal skeleton – are encased in a protective coating called an exoskeleton that is very...
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Trott, T.J., Atema, J. (2018). Molting. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_480-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_480-1
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