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Moulting (or '''molting''', see Spelling Differences ) is the routine shedding of old Feather s in Bird s, old Hair s in Mammal s (see also Coat (dog) ), old Skin in Reptile s, and the entire Exoskeleton in Arthropod s. MOULTING IN BIRDS Moulting 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 Giardiasis , 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 Reptile s is when Snake s "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. Conversely, Lizard s' skins fall off in pieces. MOULTING IN ARTHROPODS See Also: Ecdysis In Arthropod s, such as Insect s, Arachnid s and Crustacean s, 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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