any creatures throughout the animal kingdom undergo a process of physical transformation called moulting. Whether they create ghostly serpent sleeves as a result or just ditch clumps of old skin and fur, shedding is an important stage in an animal’s growth and survival. The terms moulting and shedding are often used interchangeably, but there’s a slight difference between each process. Moulting is the removal of an animal’s entire skin, feathers, shell or exoskeleton as it grows, which often occurs on a seasonal basis. For example, elephant seals () undergo what is known as a ‘catastrophic moult’ during late summer. As dramatic as it sounds, the ‘catastrophic’ nature of these moults merely relates to the large patches of skin that shed at one time. During this time, blood flow within
