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periodic shedding of the cuticle in arthropods or the outer skin in reptiles

periodic shedding of the cuticle in arthropods or the outer skin in reptiles

Casting off feathers, hair, or cuticle. Molting is a process of sloughing or desquamation, especially the shedding of an outer covering and the development of a new one. This phenomenon permits growth in arthropods, skin renewal in amphibians and reptiles, and the shedding of winter coats in birds and mammals.

The time when birds cast their feathers; the act or process of casting the feathers.