ASK JiMMY + ThE BuG

Hey Jimmy! Victoria T. from Florida wants to know: "Why do snakes shed their skin?"

Just like you need bigger clothes as you grow, snakes need bigger "suits of armor" as they increase in length. Shedding, or molting, replaces worn-out scales with new ones. It also helps snakes get rid of parasites like ticks and mites. Some snakes molt about every 20 days; others, only once a year. All grow new skin under their old skin before they shed. Young snakes shed often. Adult snakes shed, too, although not as often.

As a snake prepares to molt, a liquid fills the space between the new and old skins. This liquid helps the two layers separate. The liquid clouds over the snakes eyes; because this affects its vision, shedding time can be danaerous for a snake.

Unlike humans, who shed skin all the time (flaking off about 30,000 dead skin cells every minute), or lizards that shed skin in raggedy patches, a snake sheds its skin all at once. It rubs its head against rough surfaces to break open the skin around its mouth and nose. Then it moves between objects that trap the loose skin and hold it as the snake slips out and slithers away. Snakes that float on top of the water all their lives twist their bodies into knots and coil their way out of their skins.

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