Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm probably going to end up sounding really dumb, but here it goes:

My grandma always asks me why my geckos shed, and I can't really explain why. I used to think that the only things that shed were animals with exoskeletons, but then I couldn't explain snakes.

Can someone explain to me the why and how of shedding? Thanks

Michael

I'll try and explain it to the best of my knowledge. As far as I know, reptiles shed because their skin doesn't grow liek ours does. It is similar to an exoskelatin, but just a bit softer. However, as reptiles grow older and begin to slow down growing, they do not have to shed as often. Also, they eat their shed because it is a good source of nutrients for them. I hope I explained it well enough, and if I didn't, I'm sure someone else can =)

Snakes and reptiles, do it all at once. Skin, in people and pets, grows from the inside dermal layers. In order to "refresh," the outer layers have to be exfoliated.

:

A large percentage of household dust is human skin. Ewww...
So we all shed, but some of us are neater than others. Some even recycle. You can shed like a gecko, though, if you get a really bad sunburn. This is not recommended.
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Eryx - All the fun of a boa in a convenient pocket size!

Also, if you think about what happens if the leo doesn't shed it makes some sense. Each scale the leo has is essentially a hardened flap of skin. If the skin on the scale becomes tight, the blood circulation to the scale is cut and you get necrosis.

Also if you look at the mechanics of reptile skin, it's extremely different from human skin. Human skin is pretty porous in comparison, it absorbs water and oil and dries out pretty easily too. Reptile skin on the other hand is non-porous and is made to hold all the moisture of the animal inside to prevent dessication (harsh climate adaptation). This makes the skin on a microscopic scale almost like a plastic; hard, plate-like, and not easy to stretch. So in order to grow, the reptile has to find someway to deal with its skin.

A good way to get an idea of the differences between our skin and reptile skin is to look at leather products. Leather gloves stretch and form to your hands after some use, snake/croc leather doesn't ever stretch.

-Lemur 6