: to shed hair, feathers, shell, horns, or an outer layer periodically. transitive verb. : to cast off (an outer covering) periodically specifically : to throw off (the old cuticle) —used of arthropods.
How do you use molt in a sentence?
Molt in a Sentence ?
- With dead shreds of skin lying around the cage, it was apparent that the lizard did molt his skin.
- About once a year, birds molt their feathers so that the old ones are replaced with new ones.
What happens during a molt?
In molting, the epidermis separates from the outermost cuticle. ... When the epidermis has formed the new cuticle, muscular contractions and air intake cause the insect's body to swell, thus splitting open the remains of the old cuticle. Finally, the new cuticle hardens. The bug squeezes out from the outgrown exoskeleton.
