Question

What is moulting? Explain with an example.

Answer 1

Moulting:

1. Moulting is the process by which an animal sheds a part of its body during specific stages of its life cycle.
2. An arthropod moulting its exoskeleton is known as ecdysis.
3. Arthropods must moult in order to get larger because their exoskeleton is rigid, making moulting required.
4. For arthropods, moulting is a crucial but delicate moment.

Factors affecting moulting:

1. Loss of body weight.
2. Predators eg. cats and dogs.
3. Climate: excessive cold, heat waves.
4. Lighting: decreasing daylight, decreasing artificial light

Example:

1. Cats moult their fur in the spring and summer to shed their "winter coat."
2. Cats have thicker fur during the colder winter months to remain warm, and then they shed some of their furs in the spring and summer to have a thinner coat for the hotter summer months.