Animals molt in two fundamentally different ways: arthropods shed a rigid exoskeleton so their bodies can grow, while snakes and other squamates shed the outer layer of their skin. Here are 10 well-documented examples, including what each animal sheds, how it gets out, and what happens while the replacement covering is still soft.
What molting means in different animals
“Molting” is an umbrella term, not one identical event. In insects, spiders and crustaceans, the animal produces a new exoskeleton beneath the old one. Because the old exoskeleton is a rigid outer framework, it cannot expand indefinitely. The animal must split or leave that covering, enlarge its body, and allow the new exoskeleton to harden.
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Snakes and lizards are squamates. They periodically shed the outer layer of skin rather than a crustacean-style exoskeleton. A snake loosens that layer by rubbing against rough surfaces and then works its way out. Thus, “What animals shed their skin?” and “Which animals shed their exoskeleton?” have overlapping everyday wording but different biological answers.
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Molting can create a dangerous interval. An arthropod that has just emerged has a soft replacement exoskeleton and less physical protection. The sources describe this vulnerability for insects, tarantulas, lobsters and crabs. The schedule is also highly variable: a figure for one species or life stage must not be treated as a universal molt rate.
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Ten molting animals at a glance
| Animal | Type of animal | Covering shed | Specific timing or life-stage detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scudder’s bush katydid | Named insect species | Exoskeleton | No schedule stated |
| Ladybug | Common insect | Exoskeleton | No schedule stated |
| Cockroach | Common insect group | Exoskeleton | No schedule stated |
| Monarch butterfly larva | Named species, larval stage | Exoskeleton | Five molts during the larval stage |
| Land hermit crab | Common crustacean group | Exoskeleton | Some species may remain in a shell for 45–120 days while molting |
| Horseshoe crab | Common marine arthropod group | Exoskeleton | No schedule stated |
| American lobster | Named crustacean species | Exoskeleton | Free-swimming larvae molt four times before resembling adults and settling |
| Crayfish | Common freshwater crustacean group | Exoskeleton | No schedule stated |
| Tarantula | Common spider group | Exoskeleton | No schedule stated |
| Snake | Common squamate group | Outer skin layer | No schedule stated |
1. Scudder’s bush katydid
Scudder’s bush katydid is an insect example of growth by successive molts. Its exoskeleton supplies a firm external framework, but that framework does not enlarge with the katydid. To continue developing, the insect forms a replacement beneath the old covering and exits it.
After the old exoskeleton is left behind, the new one is not immediately at full strength. The hardening interval is a vulnerable part of the cycle, so the animal’s protection changes over the course of the molt rather than switching on instantly. No species-specific molt frequency is established here; the insect example demonstrates the growth function, not a timetable that applies to all katydids.
2. Ladybug
A ladybug illustrates the same insect mechanism in a familiar form. It sheds its old exoskeleton as its body grows, then waits for the new outer covering to harden. National Geographic uses the ladybug to show why the period immediately after emergence matters: the replacement exoskeleton is soft and leaves the insect more exposed.
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3. Cockroach
Cockroaches provide a clear view of how an insect exits an exoskeleton. The old covering splits along the back, creating an opening through which the cockroach pulls its body. Once free, it has a newly formed exoskeleton that must harden.
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The split is an exit route, not the reason for molting. The underlying reason is growth: the rigid exoskeleton cannot expand enough to accommodate a larger cockroach. During the soft-shell period, the animal is physically vulnerable. No particular cockroach species or molt interval is specified by the cited account.
4. Monarch butterfly larva
The monarch butterfly’s larval stage shows that a single animal can molt repeatedly before adulthood. National Geographic, attributing the figure to Arizona State University, reports that monarch larvae undergo five molts. That number belongs specifically to the caterpillar stage; it should not be extended to the adult butterfly or used as a general count for every insect.
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Each larval molt replaces an exoskeleton that has become too restrictive for the growing caterpillar. The process is therefore tied to development, not merely to a seasonal date. As with other insects, the newly exposed covering is softer before it hardens, although the cited material does not provide a separate duration for that interval.
5. Land hermit crab
Land hermit crabs molt to grow and form a larger exoskeleton. Their shell adds a distinctive complication: some species store water in the shell and remain inside it during the molt. For those species, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute gives a possible duration of 45 to 120 days. That range applies only to the species and behavior described, not to all hermit crabs.
Smithsonian also reports that hermit crabs may eat the discarded covering, potentially recovering minerals from it. The old exoskeleton is therefore not necessarily left untouched. A crab that has just completed the molt still has a soft new covering, so the period of recovery carries greater risk than the time spent protected by a hardened exoskeleton.
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6. Horseshoe crab
Horseshoe crabs are another arthropod example whose empty exoskeleton may be found after molting. The animal produces a replacement covering and leaves the old one as it grows. What looks like a dead horseshoe crab on a shoreline can therefore be an abandoned shell rather than the animal itself.
The cited description does not state how often a horseshoe crab molts or how long an individual molt takes. It supports the broader point that a hard external covering must be replaced to permit growth, while the exact schedule depends on the animal’s biology and stage.
7. American lobster
American lobsters molt periodically because their exoskeleton cannot expand with a growing body. NOAA Fisheries specifies an important life-stage detail: free-swimming lobster larvae molt four times before they resemble adults and settle to the bottom. The four-molt figure applies to those larvae, not to every phase of an American lobster’s life.
The replacement shell is initially soft. NOAA’s account places newly molted lobsters among animals that face increased vulnerability while the new covering hardens. Once hardened, the exoskeleton again provides the normal structural protection, but the animal’s molt history should not be used to calculate a general adult schedule.
8. Crayfish
Crayfish must shed their skin-like outer covering and form a new exoskeleton in order to grow. In biological terms, this is an exoskeleton molt even though everyday descriptions may call the discarded material “skin.” The old covering is left behind as the crayfish emerges into a larger body space.
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The newly formed exoskeleton is soft at first, creating a period in which the crayfish has less protection. The cited source does not establish a standard number of molts, an interval, or a duration for that soft phase. Those details can vary with the individual’s development and should not be inferred from the lobster or hermit-crab figures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.9. Tarantula
A tarantula prepares for molting by forming a new exoskeleton underneath the old one. It then emerges while the replacement covering is still soft. This sequence, described by National Geographic with arachnologist Jo-Anne Sewlal, explains why a freshly molted tarantula is especially vulnerable: the protective outer layer has not yet reached its normal hardness.
The old exoskeleton is a spider’s external framework, not a skin layer in the squamate sense. The cited explanation does not give a universal tarantula molt schedule, so the example is useful for understanding the mechanics and risk of molting rather than predicting when any individual spider will molt.
10. Snake
Snakes represent the other major form of molting in this list. As squamates, they periodically shed the entire outer layer of skin. Smithsonian Q?rius describes snakes loosening that layer by rubbing against rough surfaces, after which the snake works its way out of the old skin.
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Why a molt can be dangerous
For an arthropod, the main hazard is the interval after leaving the old exoskeleton and before the new one hardens. Insects such as ladybugs and cockroaches, spiders such as tarantulas, and crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs are less protected during that transition. The animal must complete a physically demanding escape while its replacement covering is still soft.
Discarded material can also be part of the animal’s resource strategy. Smithsonian reports that some hermit crabs eat the old exoskeleton, possibly to recover minerals. That behavior is an example for those crabs, not a rule for every molting animal.
How to answer common molting questions
Why do animals molt?
Arthropods molt because their rigid exoskeleton does not grow along with the body. Shedding permits a larger body and a replacement exoskeleton. Squamates shed the outer skin layer as part of their periodic skin renewal; the snake example does not involve an arthropod exoskeleton.
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Snakes and lizards are the squamate examples in the cited material. Their shed is the outer skin layer. People may also use “skin” informally for a crayfish or insect’s discarded covering, but those animals are actually leaving an exoskeleton.
Which animals shed an exoskeleton?
The katydid, ladybug, cockroach, monarch larva, land hermit crab, horseshoe crab, American lobster, crayfish and tarantula all shed exoskeletons. The exact timing differs by species and life stage, so the five monarch-larva molts, four lobster-larva molts and 45-to-120-day hermit-crab duration must remain tied to their stated examples.
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